On Iraq: The Time Is Now
Posted on Sat Jul 07, 2007 at 09:02:28 PM EST
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In a very good post, MissLaura discusses Harry Reid's determination to end the war in Iraq, as reported by the NYTimes:
Democratic voters are not the only ones bitter over their party’s failure to use new Congressional power to force a withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Senator Harry Reid, the occasionally obstreperous Democratic leader, is upset as well. “We haven’t done enough,” said Mr. Reid, a onetime moderate who has evolved into one of the party’s most fervent critics of the war.That view captures not only Mr. Reid’s sentiment but also the shifting political dynamic on the war, as public frustration remains high, the conflict dominates the presidential campaign landscape and senior Republicans have chosen to break with President Bush even as the administration has urged patience.
Sensing momentum from the new Republican defections, Mr. Reid and other leading Democrats intend to force a series of votes over the next two weeks on proposals to withdraw troops and limit spending. Democrats are increasingly confident they can assemble majority opposition to administration policies.
There is political gamesmanship in Reid's words here. I do not imagine he expects Republicans to rally to the cause of ending the Debacle, as his comments regarding Pete Domenici made clear, but he must invite them to join Democrats in the drive to end the Debacle.
I have not changed my oft-stated view that the Spending Power, not funding the war after a date certain, is the only way to stop Bush on Iraq. But I understand that Reid must be perceived as seeking bipartisan consensus on the issue for political reasons. But what Reid has also made clear is that he will be demanding a REAL plan to end the Debacle, and that he will not accept fig leafs to give vulebrable Republicans cover.
But it should NEVER be forgotten that the rubber will hit the road on not funding the Debacle in the House of Representatives. That is where the Iraq Debacle can be stopped. That is where the not funding the Debacle after a date certain strategy can work.
Reid's work will help generally, but the Senate, with the likes of Levin, Tester and Webb as the "anti-war" contingent, will never stand up to the President. The House can and just might.
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