If Congress is in session, then Congressional Democrats must be working on a way to end the Iraq war. This week the stage is the Senate, which is taking up the defense authorization bill. The first amendments to be considered are likely to deal with the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay — one amendment to grant detainees the right to contest their detention in federal court, the second to close the prison. And, at some point in the next few days, the Senate is likely to pass an amendment offered by Senator Webb to mandate time at home between deployments to Iraq.
CQ is mistaken in this assessment, according to Secretary Gates–as are many other media outlets. Gates says that the amendment could in theory limit the number of troops in Iraq. But because the senior military leadership is unanimous on the strategy represented by Operation Phantom Thunder, the Webb amendment will instead place additional stresses on servicemen and women in Iraq, as well as force the Pentagon to call up more members of the National Guard and Reserve:
