Our Political Space

Here in the land of the free and the home of the brave, no fear of mortars or car-bombs impedes our elected representatives from politicking the day away.

Rep. Obey’s outburst stole the spotlight on a week when Democrats pushed forward the debate on Iraq. House Democrats have proposed setting a withdrawal date of August 2008. A “goal” rather than deadline according to some, the proposed legislation would set a series of benchmarks that have to be met or else troop withdrawal would begin.

The Christian Science Monitor reports:

“Unless there is progress made in meeting benchmarks by July 2007, we begin the redeployment of our troops out of a combat role in Iraq,” said Speaker Pelosi.

If they are met, the Secretary of Defense must begin redeploying US forces out of Iraq by March 1, 2008, and complete the redeployment within 180 days, she added.

The deal aims to strike a balance between two often competing wings of the House Democratic caucus: conservatives, who oppose any move to “micromanage” the war, and the liberal “Out of Iraq” caucus, which wants to see the newly empowered Democrats use war funding to leverage an end to the war now.

House Dems. will need 218 votes to get the vote through. The Washington Post reports on the effort its taking to get the caucus aboard.

Nadler’s conversion was a sign of the member-by-member, slow but deliberate headway Democratic leaders say they are making in their efforts to cobble together the 218 supporters they need to pass one of the most consequential pieces of defense legislation in decades, a $105 billion war-funding bill that would impose strict standards of rest and readiness for the military, establish clear benchmarks for the government of Iraq and set a timeline to end U.S. involvement in the war.

In the Senate, which will see the legislation on its floor next week, the main players are jockeying to come to support the timeline/deadline..and they hope getting near the 60 vote threshold to passing it. Expecting stiff Republican opposition, Sen. Reid is allowing Republicans to introduce their own provisions to the bill, so as to avoid the procedural deadlock on prior resolutions.

President Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation, while in fact asking for more money to send an additional 4,700 troops into Iraq.