No Iraq Timetable, But…
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Iraq, Legislation, The War On Terrorism, WarDems are backing off of their original bill in favor of a compromise. A lot of people will see this as a defeat, however…don’t be so sure.
Democrats backed off after the House failed, on a vote of 222 to 203, to override the president’s veto of a $124 billion measure that would have required U.S. forces to begin withdrawing as early as July. But party leaders made it clear that the next bill will have to include language that influences war policy. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) outlined a second measure that would step up Iraqi accountability, “transition” the U.S. military role and show “a reasonable way to end this war.”“We made our position clear. He made his position clear. Now it is time for us to try to work together,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said after a White House meeting. “But make no mistake: Democrats are committed to ending this war.”
Yeah, yeah…sure they are. But wait…there’s more from the other side of the aisle…
But a new dynamic also is at work, with some Republicans now saying that funding further military operations in Iraq with no strings attached does not make practical or political sense. Rep. Bob Inglis (S.C.), a conservative who opposed the first funding bill, said, “The hallway talk is very different from the podium talk.”While deadlines for troop withdrawals had to be dropped from the spending bill, such language is likely to appear in a defense policy measure that is expected to reach the House floor in two weeks, just when a second war funding bill could be ready for a House vote. Democrats want the next spending measure to pass before Congress recesses on May 25 for Memorial Day weekend.
How this will all play out is anybody’s guess, but all Bush has succeeded in doing is showing he can veto something. He hasn’t shown he’s willing to reach a compromise on Iraq. Let’s hope both sides figure out some way to end this unnecessary war and focus on a new strategy for the WoT.
This entry was posted on Thursday, May 3rd, 2007 and is filed under Iraq, Legislation, The War On Terrorism, War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
