Dems try to recraft retreat requirement for Iraq funding

Washington Post:

Facing increasing evidence of military progress in Iraq, some Democratic congressional leaders are eyeing a shift in legislative strategy that would abandon a link between $50 billion in additional war funding sought by President Bush to a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops. Instead they would tie the measure to political advances by the Iraqi government.

For nearly a year, Democrats have tried and failed to use war funds to push timelines for troop withdrawals, troop-training requirements, and prescribed periods of rest for weary soldiers and Marines.

Now, House Democratic Caucus Committee Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) is examining a new approach, releasing war funds in small increments, with further installments tied to specific performance measures for Iraq's politicians. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) also is searching for a new approach and has been briefed on the idea of more explicitly tying funds to political progress.

The new thrust has divided Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, some of whom say they will never approve additional funding for the Iraq war without troop-withdrawal timelines. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) remains skeptical, House Democratic leadership sources said, and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) has vacillated between seeking compromise with Republicans and holding firmly to troop-withdrawal language.

"We've been through all that," Reid said yesterday of the new approach, suggesting the war-funding issue will wait until January. "I just think we need to figure out some way to fund a government and move on to next year."

The new approach contains considerable political risks for Democrats. If they choose to adopt realistic measurements of political progress, they would be signaling a willingness to leave U.S. combat troops in Iraq far longer than Democratic voters want, said Michael O'Hanlon, a Democratic defense analyst at the Brookings Institution.

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This new idea has real potential. Why not set a schedule for Congress to pass legislation funding the troops and if they do not meet it, members of Congress will forfeit their paychecks. After all shouldn't Congress have to abide by the same restrictions they want to impose on Iraq? Why should Congress be paid when they are not funding the troops in harms way?

The fact is that this is just another dumb idea to appease the Democrats' kook base that is desperate to lose a war we are winning. What is really goofy about this one is that the whole purpose of the original attempt to force reconciliation on the Iraqis was the belief that with reconciliation the violence would decrease and the fighting among the factions would be significantly reduced. Memo to Democrats: That happened without meeting your benchmarks.

It is time to quit fighting the facts and accept the fact that our military has accomplished something you said could not be done. Admit you were wrong and MoveOn.