Congress has yet to act on the president’s request for roughly $200 billion in supplemental funding for the war on terror, including the war in Iraq. Given Speaker Pelosi’s recent promise that Democrats would offer ‘more of the same’ in an effort to get President Bush to ‘change course’ (again?), it appears that Congress is quietly preparing another ‘blank check:’
In a delicious irony, it seems that with regard to ending the Iraq war, Democrats may have decided to declare victory and go home:
When earlier this year the anti-war base pushed for Congress simply to cut off funds, Congressional leaders refused, fearing the political fallout. Now, given the success of the surge, such a move is increasingly unlikely. If Congressional leaders continue with this approach, it’s an indication that rhetoric and bluster notwithstanding, they want to continue to play politics with Iraq. If they were serious about this issue–either seriously opposed to the war or serious about supporting our military–they would either fully fund the war (instead of doing it on the installment plan), or cut off funds. The only reason to resort to this approach is that Democrats want to force more votes on funding, in the hopes that Iraq may suddenly fail, presenting them a new political opportunity. Rather than walking softly and carrying a big stick, Speaker Pelosi is loudly promising continued resistance on Iraq, but yielding to the president at every turn. While this might be smart politics, Pelosi ought to know that the last thing the American people want is ‘more of the same’ failed policy.
