so the U.S. will never leave Iraq?
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=3D3105288&page=3D1
If Democratic leaders in Congress play it right (no sure bet), =
they’ll provide money to the troops without splitting their caucus by =
the end of the month. That didn’t seem possible just a few days ago: =
Liberals don’t want to spend another dime on the war - and have told =
House Democratic leaders as much, robbing leadership of crucial votes =
in a closely divided Congress.
But nothing unifies a party quite like cracks on the other side of =
the aisle, and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) got plenty =
of company yesterday among Republicans warning that their patience is =
limited. This is the sound of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) smelling =
blood: “George W. Bush is hellbent on January 20, 2009, when he walks =
out of the door, leaving a box stamped ‘Iraq’ for the next president. =
The Republicans [in Congress] are hellbent on not going through the =
next election with Iraq tied to their ankles.” LINK
Congress Redefines ‘Timetable’ in Iraq Bill
Republicans of late loved to say they hated timetables, and now =
they’re showing why. By offering one of their own =96 the date by which =
they expect progress in Iraq - they’ve given Democrats political =
leverage. ABC’s Jake Tapper reports that Republican leaders being =
influenced by a “patience” timetable, “marking when GOP support for =
the president’s unpopular war could begin to seriously erode.” LINK
The Washington Post identifies a deadline of September =96 the month by =
which “political pressures in Washington will dovetail with the =
military timeline.”
Getting the funding bill from here to there will require some =
legislative gymnastics, but a House vote setting the process in =
motion could come by the end of this week. Among the Democrats, the =
2008 crew has quieted its jostling over the Iraq funding bill =96 maybe =
for long enough for Congress to hammer out a compromise that can pass =
White House muster. But who will be the first top-tier GOP =
presidential candidate to call for US troops to start coming home?