After Republicans repeatedly rebuffed Democratic attempts to adopt war restrictions in September following Army Gen. David Petraeus’ testimony to Congress, Democrats began approving billions in extra funding, starting with the first stopgap spending resolution. Next up will be the regular Defense spending bill, expected to go to conference committee Tuesday. Although the bill is not expected to include funding specifically targeted to Iraq, Democrats plan to allow much of the funding to be diverted from regular Defense accounts to the war. Democratic Defense appropriators also are separately eyeing adding tens of billions in war funds, either in a small separate supplemental or attached to the next must-pass stopgap continuing resolution. They had sought to include $50 billion or more in such supplemental funding in the Defense bill itself, but leadership overrode that idea after the party’s most ardent war foes complained. Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said last week the Defense Department should be able to keep the war going “until May or June” with the extra flexibility and partial funding. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) also indicated Friday that Democrats are thinking of including war funding in the next CR. The existing CR expires Nov. 16.