C'mon, Jim. How did it even get on the calendar for the House? You know that if Gephardt had the power, and a bill that he didn't want to come to the floor for a vote came up, he'd have it buried.
The Democrats certainly offered more support than the Republicans, but the GOP'ers could have prevented this thing in its entirety. All it would have taken was a little bit of courage.
And Bush is really lacking in that area, truth be told. He gets a pat on the back for going after the terrorists halfway around the world, but that idea was supported by a massive majority of the population here at home. It was a simple decision, politically, for him to pursue that course of action. And tax cuts are a no-brainer as well. Not too many average working folks are going to decry a little extra take home pay.
Vetoing this CFR bill would have required him to go against popular opinion somewhat in order to do the right thing. When faced with that, he choked.
The more I think about this, the less respect I have for him.