Does the President Hate Children?

Yesterday, the House voted by a wide margin to expand funding for the SCHIP program, which provides healthcare to some 6.6 million low income children. Now, put aside for the moment that the AP report characterized this as a "Democratic-led victory", rather than a "bi-partisan accord", a distinction that appears to provide a measure of political cover to President Bush's promised veto.

I'd like to focus for a moment on the White House's laughable assertion that the Democrats are being "Irresponsible" by passing a bill that they know he will veto. This is akin to saying that the Democrats are irresponsible for having a face that they know the President will punch them in.

White House press secretary Dana Perrino said in a statement, "Unfortunately, the House of Representatives today passed SCHIP legislation that pushes many children who now have private coverage into a government-run system, part of the Democrats' incremental plan toward government-run health care for all Americans."

Now, I've come to expect this type of "logic" from this White House, but I keep expecting someone, anyone, in the mainstream media, or the Democratic leadership, or even the Republican maverick-archy, to point, laugh, and say "This guy is a clown!"

Now, I mean that I "expect" it in the way that I "expect" a rock to sink in a pool of water. If rocks suddenly started to float for 6 years, I might be less startled after awhile, but I would still know that they should sink.

Does the President hate children? I don't know what's in the man's heart, or in his head. But even if he looooves children, wishes there were nothing but lollipops and ponies for all, it would not change the fact that this veto will be devastating to them.

What remains to be seen now is how the bi-partisan supporters of this measure react to the veto. Will they realize that they have the full support of the American people, that the 24 Republicans that they need to switch their votes in order to override the veto don't have a political leg to stand on? Or will they throw up their hands, saying, "We don't have the votes", and file this episode away for use in a campaign ad? I still expect that rock to sink, despite all evidence to the contrary. Call me a dreamer.