Your Votes are for Sale this Morning

President Bush attempted to buy a lot of local votes here in Portland, Oregon Friday, promising $15 million (of $150 million needed) to help dredge out the Columbia river to open it up to more container ships. Two of three major container shippers immediately announced that they were pulling out of Portland anyway.

But a little later this morning, he will try to buy your votes and those of the Veterans of Foreign Wars when he tells them that he:

…has decided to bring home tens of thousands of U.S. troops from posts around the world — most of them in Europe and Asia — plus 100,000 of their family members and support personnel, U.S. officials said Saturday. The changes will have no effect on forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.

As part of the largest troop realignment in years, Bush will shift about 70,000 uniformed military personnel, most of them currently in Europe, two senior administration officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A significant proportion will come home, though it was not clear when.

The decision is meant to "strengthen our ability to respond to threats overseas," one official said, declining to elaborate.

"It will improve our capability to protect America and our allies and ease some of the burden on our uniformed military members and their families," one official said.

Translation: he is attempting to kill at least three birds with one stone: pacify active duty troop voters, steer off mass defections of veterans who are turning to Mr. Kerry, and convince undecideds that he is a thoughtful and caring commander-in-chief. More practically, Mr. Bush would need troops from somewhere to carry on his doctrine of pre-emptive warfare after the election.

The question for you this morning: Are you for sale?