On December 28, President Bush announced his plan to veto the defense authorization bill over an obscure provision regarding the new Iraqi government and the rights of prisoners of war. The White House is worried that Americans victimized by Saddam's former regime might use the legislation to secure compensation in court, jeopardizing Iraq's assets held in U.S. banks.

The veto took a lot of people by surprise, because normally the President lets Congress know in advance if legislation they are passing is likely to be vetoed.  And there's controversy about the veto itself -- President Bush claims this is a pocket-veto, which the President can use when Congress is out of session, and which Congress cannot override.  But Congress is not out of session, so Congressional leaders are considering efforts to override the veto.

That's right. The partisan divide is so wide now that Congress and the President can't even agree on the meaning of the word "veto."  Unfortunately, while the politicians are playing word games, troops and veterans are missing out on:

- Better health care for veterans. As the law currently stands, Iraq vets lose access to VA health coverage two years after they get out of the military. Without the defense authorization bill, there's nothing to keep Iraq and Afghanistan veterans from joining the 1.8 million veterans without health insurance.

- Wartime Contracting Commission. A new "Truman Commission" to fight fraud and waste by military contractors.

- Pre- and Post- Deployment Assessment for Traumatic Brain Injury. Studies suggest 150-300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have received this kind of injury. These kinds of injuries don't necessarily leave a visible wound, but they can seriously affect brain function, including memory and emotional response. Right now, many of these injuries are going undiagnosed and untreated.

- Expanded job protections for family members of severely wounded troops. 

Currently, if a husband or wife of a wounded troop at Walter Reed needs to take more than three months to care for their spouse, they can lose their job.  This would have given them six months of job protection.

Add to that a new research and treatment center for PTSD and TBI, better education benefits for National Guardsmen and Reservists, and refugee assistance for Iraqi Interpreters.

All of this in limbo, thanks to this veto.

What happens next?  Will Congress invoke the little-known "I'm rubber, you're glue" rule?  Will the President respond by redefining "Congress"? Who knows. 

What is clear is that yet again, vital new programs for returning troops are going to be put on hold while Congress and the President play games.

How do you feel about this issue?
Let your public officials know how you feel.