Iraq Post-Veto Strategy For Dems: Reid-Feingold

By Big Tent Democrat, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Thu Apr 19, 2007 at 11:06:50 PM EST
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John Podesta discusses potential Democratic strategies for reacting to a Bush veto of the Iraq supplemental funding bill scheduled to be sent the President next week:

Four Post-Veto Scenarios:
Provide a short infusion of funding of $40 billion

Demand the president to account for the military readiness of units being sent to Iraq and acknowledge the strains on troops already in Iraq in the fiscal year 2007 supplemental bill

Demand that certification of progress towards benchmarks for Iraq’s political transition remains a part of the FY2007 supplemental funding bill
Keep the pressure for redeployment dates by offering redeployment language in the markups of the fiscal year 2008 Defense Authorization and Appropriations bills.

What's missing? Reid-Feingold. Why would John Podesta not consider Reid-Feingold? Why would he ignore the stated policy of the Democratic Senate Majority Leader? Here's why -- because John Podesta and his group do not believe, apparently, that Congress can NOT fund the Debacle:

In addition to its strong oversight role, Congress has four main tools to increase pressure on President Bush and his allies: fence the funding to shorter intervals; set standards for military readiness; hold the Iraqi government and the Bush administration accountable for progress on benchmarks in Iraq’s political transition; and set timetables for redeployment. Congress can use these tools in combination, sequentially, or both.

What's missing is not funding after a date certain. What's missing is using the NOT Spending Power. Despite the clear preference of the American People for Congress ending the war by March 31, 2008, John Podesta and his group simply do not have the courage to recommend implementing the will of the American People. This is terribly disappointing and simply wrong.

Proposals like Podesta's are non-starters in my opinion. No announced date certain for not funding the Debacle, as Reid-Feingold provides, is a policy to NOT end the Iraq Debacle. Again, the Beltway simply is disconnected from the American People.