Water-bill battle is a paradox

Re “Senate hands Bush his first veto override,” Nov. 9

After seven years, Congress has finally stepped up to its role as a coequal branch of government by overriding President Bush’s veto of the water bill. Bush didn’t even use his veto pen for five years and has only recently used it to quell stem cell research, commit troops to Iraq without time lines and quash children’s healthcare. Even while winning the majority in the last election, Democrats could not swing the two-thirds majority to override a veto, as Republicans dogmatically toed the party line. I see this event as somewhat of a paradox. On the one hand, Congress stood up against the president and is addressing long-ignored infrastructures across the country. On the other, congressional members of both parties supported projects in their districts to save their own political hide. Is this progress?

Tim Pfeifer

Long Beach