The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW) said President Bush's veto yesterday of a $124 billion war funding bill should have come as no surprise to any American.

"Everybody knew going in that the president would veto any funding package that contained artificial troop withdrawal dates," said the VFW's Gary Kurpius, who is again reminding Congress that the time to debate the war in Iraq is not in the funding package that keeps American troops alive.

"The war is in Iraq and Afghanistan, not on Capitol Hill," he said. "Our troops are fighting a very eal and very dangerous enemy. It's a mission we sent them on, and it's a mission they want to complete. The very least we can do is to give them a chance to succeed by providing them the funding and patience they are requesting."

Kurpius is now calling for both branches of government and their political parties to put aside their differences and do what's best for the troops from the troops' perspective.

"The administration must recognize that the new Congress is exercising its legitimate oversight powers to ensure they have a voice in the conduct of America's wars," he said.

"Similarly, Congress must also recognize that there is only one commander-in-chief of our armed forces - and both sides must clearly understand that our military comes from and belongs to the American people, not to the Democratic or Republican Party."

"Sad but necessary," was the way The National Commander of The American Legion Paul A. Morin described President Bush's veto earlier today of an Iraq war-spending bill that included timelines for withdrawing troops from the region.

"The American Legion is glad that the president vetoed this irresponsible legislation but saddened that Congress let it get this far," Morin said. "First the House passed a blueprint for disaster and then the Senate passed a recipe for surrender. There can only be one commander in chief and he should be the one to determine when the mission is complete."

Morin said it is essential that Congress immediately pass a bill that the president can sign - one that contains the necessary funding but not the deadlines. "The troops need Congress to fund their mission. It is immoral for Congress to approve a military mission and then not want to pay for it once the troops are in harm's way. You can not possibly say `I support the troops but I don't want to pay for their bullets, beans and billeting while in combat.'"