Dems don't have votes for their bad Iraq policy yet

Rowan Scarborough:

Democrats in charge of national security in Congress plan to showcase the Iraq war as their leading issue in 2007, conducting a series of hearings and promoting legislation that would force President Bush to start bringing home troops next year.
But Democrats at this point lack a consensus on Iraq. Incoming Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat, has begun a hunt for enough Senate votes to pass a nonbinding resolution demanding that President Bush set a timetable for troop withdrawal. He says that there were 40 such votes last year and that perhaps he can find 51 in 2007.
In the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat likely to become the speaker, advocates an immediate troop pullout. But congressional aides say such a resolution likely would be defeated in a floor vote.
The only sure way for Congress to end the war is to cut off funds in the defense appropriations bill. But aides said that action would be vulnerable to Republican attack and is unlikely.
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Congressional staffers said the Democrats' final strategy will rest partly on the recommendations next month of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan group of former U.S. officials. The panel has stature: It is led by James A. Baker III, former secretary of state, and former Rep. Lee H. Hamilton, who was co-chairman of the September 11 commission. If the group recommends some type of American withdrawal, it would provide cover for Democrats to put the plan into legislation.
There is a catch.
"Democrats have to think about how everything they do now will be used against them in 2008," Mr. Thompson said. "If they force a reduction in troops, and there is a meltdown in the Iraq security situation, of course they'll be blamed."
"Most Democrats share the view that we should pressure the White House to commence the phased redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq in four to six months," Mr. Levin said. "And thereby to make it clear to the Iraqis that our presence is not open-ended."
Rep. C.W. Bill Young, Florida Republican and chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, said he doubts a Levin-style amendment would pass the House.
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We know that Levin does not have Leiberman's vote and there may be other Democrats who would not support the Democrats retreat and defeat strategy. And, as the story points out, if they do support such a disastrous policy they will lose in 2008.