Blame vetoes for inaction in Congress

Carl Polash (10/5/08) made the preposterous suggestion that all the ills our country faces in 2008 are directly attributable to the current Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate, which took office in January, 2007.

Hogwash. Americans did want change in the 2006 Congressional membership, but it wasn't enough. It was not veto proof, and President Bush used his veto power for the first of many times in 2007. He didn't need his veto in the first six years of his presidency, because he had a rubber stamp Congress.

Now, we have an impotent Congress, because none of the bills it passes are safe from Bush's veto. There has been a net "change" of zero with the new Congress. Mr. Polash conveniently forgets the budget surplus the Bush Administration inherited and quickly "changed" into a huge budget deficit. There was also no mention of the $10 billion per month that the unnecessary Iraq war is costing us. The change we need in Washington is a change in leadership.

And, the leadership we need won't come from a Republican who has voted with the Bush Administration 90 percent of the time. The leadership we need will come from Senator Barack Obama, who had the judgment to oppose a needless war, and has the intelligence, vision and organizational skills (just look at his campaign) to bring positive change to our country.

Diane Niesman

Wheaton