The Weekly Standard reports about the Roll Call piece letting the nutty roots in on a little secret about the fact that while the Democrats are publicly stating they will not fund the war without time lines attached and while trying to attach timelines to specific funding bill, that won't make it through the Senate, they have already funded the war.
Having quietly ensured last week that troops in Iraq will continue to be funded for at least the next few months, House and Senate Democrats feel free to use their final week before Thanksgiving to try yet again to attach a withdrawal timetable to any specific war funding.
By giving President Bush a $460 billion Defense spending bill that allows him to divert funding from regular Pentagon accounts to fund the war, Democrats believe they’ve insulated themselves from accusations that they are withholding money from soldiers “in harm’s way,” without having to explicitly vote for a “blank check...”
Indeed, the latest Democratic war funding strategy appears to be one in which they provide funding for the war through back channels like the Defense bill, but withhold explicit funding until the White House caves to their demands...
It’s a risky strategy that may only last until the Defense Department comes begging for more money after reallocating the $460 billion they’ve been given. Unless a critical mass of Republicans develops a sudden willingness to defy the president, funding bills attached to withdrawal timetables won’t become law.
Pelosi and Reid with their public statements really think their nutty root supporters are too stupid to understand what they did and will continue to do.
So, considering the fact that although it may take a few days for the far left to understand what happened, they eventually will, so why don't the politicians just stand up to them, tell them there is progress and success being seen, therefore funds will continue, aboveboard, instead of using the back door, and let the moderates and independents see that they actually have a spine?
Weekly Standard further goes on to state:
Congressional leaders continue to try to have it both ways. They offer posturing for the liberal base while trying to seem moderate to mainstream voters. And while this move doesn't obviate the need for Congress to approve the Iraq supplemental, it certainly reduces the urgency. Still, even if current operations are not adversely affected--which would be a surprise--funds would need to be replenished in depleted Pentagon accounts. As a result, Democrats are simply deferring the confrontation with the president for a few more months. And the only way Democrats can win the fight is if things go wrong in Iraq.
Read the whole piece, they show wonderful examples of how the left actually has been conned and tricked by their own politicians.
All they are doing now is proving without a doubt they are too cowardly to fund the war directly and has to try to hide what they are doing from the far left because they are scared wimps.
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