When is an emergency not an emergency?

When President Bush uses "supplemental emergency" appropriations to fund his Iraq War Escalation/Legacy Protection Project:

Now that the House and the Senate have passed emergency appropriations bills to fund the war in Iraq, the next step is for members of the House and Senate to come up with a compromise bill. It is hoped a compromise bill can be agreed upon and passed during the week of April 16. Then it goes to President Bush, who has sworn loudly and stridently that he will veto it.

Let’s assume the compromise bill goes to Bush in April, and he vetoes it. There aren’t enough Dems to override the veto. I’ve heard suggestions that Congress should then pass whatever bill Bush wants, which sends a signal that this is Bush’s War. He and the Republicans own it, and whatever happens is entirely their doing. However, this also might send the signal that the Dems are caving in once again, mightn’t it?

Others want to keep sending Bush bills with conditions, perhaps passing monthlong spending bills (Rep. Murtha’s suggestion) in the meantime so Bush can’t say Congress isn’t funding the troops. Well, he’ll say it anyway, but who’s listening to the little creep at this point?

The talking point du jour from the Right seems to be that “pork” in the supplement bill somehow harms the troops. Exactly why the domestic spending items in the bill takes anything away from the troops is not clear, since both House and Senate bills provide every penny Bush asked for to fund his war. The House bill provides more money than Bush asked for, actually. The Republicans appear to claiming that the domestic items are monies taken away from the Pentagon’s request, but that’s not so.

Bush runs the war off the books by pulling this "emergency" tactic even 5 years into his war. He is also able to pound on Dems because he uses the "it's an emergency, why don't they support our troops?" ruse over and over. And the fact that everyone is now concerned with pork in federal funding bills really tears at my heart. What will we tell the children?

Finally, why national Dems are letting Bush get away with this deadly trick once again is beyond the powers of this puny little blog to answer. But the answer is obvious to me - and Mahablog.