The Senate yesterday passed the annual defense authorization bill with little fanfare. Although it was intended to be the vehicle for any Iraq restrictions Democrats could come up with, it passed by an eye-popping 92-3. If you needed any proof that the measure contained little to provoke controversy, this outcome ought to confirm it. Speaker Pelosi meanwhile, promises that they will accomplish more on Iraq in the House of Representatives:
If this doesn’t count as the pot calling out the kettle, I don’t know what does. What sort of revolutionary legislation will the House muscle through?
Have the Democrats given up on Iraq? Well, for the foreseeable future… yes. Just look at how they are addressing the supplemental appropriations bill that the Pentagon needs to fund the war in 2008. According to Congressional Quarterly Democrats in Congress are unlikely to make another serious attempt to change Iraq policy until after February. By that time the Super Tuesday primaries are likely to have come and gone, and Democrats may well know who their presidential nominee is.
Republicans meanwhile, are pushing for prompt action:
Any question as to which party finds Iraq to be a more difficult and divisive issue? What’s going on here? The Democrats have realized that they’ve run into a brick wall on Iraq. Unless more bad news is forthcoming (and there seems to be little news from Iraq in general), they simply don’t have the votes. So they’re punting. And when the spending debate is forced on them next year, they’ll simply take the cue from their nominee — whoever he or she is. Are Democrats admitting to the Netroots that they’ve thrown in the towel? No. Instead they’re trying to throw up as much dust as they can, by taking advantage of another ginned-up controversy. And if the Netroots actually side with a phony soldier like Tom Harkin against a critic of phony soldiers, they’ll probably buy anything.
