By Alex Welshko, '07 |Staff Reporter

On Jan. 10 President Bush announced his intention to send an additional 21,500 soldiers and Marines into Baghdad to help pacify the city.  Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have spoken out against the proposed troop increase.  A nonbinding resolution was debated and passed last week, which declared the Congress’s opposition to the proposed troop increase.

On the surface a nonbinding resolution may appear to be meaningless grandstanding but the newly-Democratic Congress appears to have every intention of following this resolution with some legislation with teeth.

In order to finance the deployment of an additional 21,500 troops, Bush will need to request additional billions of dollars in funding from the Congress.  By using the results of the non-binding resolution vote, Congressional leaders can gauge whether they will have the necessary support to refuse to authorize the funds, effectively thwarting any possible increase in troop levels.

Having the proper legislative support is necessary, as the Bush administration has been known to label opponents of their proposed policies as unpatriotic or not supporting the troops.  These political scare tactics may not be enough this time.  After the Democratic upset this past November, some Republicans are not willing to be allied with Bush’s unpopular war policies and Democrats, invigorated by their recent success, are looking to change the direction of a Congress that, up until now, has been a silent and acquiescing accomplice in the war.

In an interview with Fox News, Bush said, “My admonition to those who are speaking out is let us back the troops and let us hope for the success of their mission.”

In a country sickened by a war that has led to the deaths of more than 3,000 U.S. troops, trapped in the middle a civil war and in a Congress galvanized by anti-war sentiment, hope for President Bush and his war seems to be in short supply.