Will Democrats Cave Again On Iraq?

(Spoiler alert... The answer is 'yes'.)

Last May, after the President vetoed their withdrawal timetable bill, Democrats allowed to pass a toothless war funding bill in its place. They promised that September would bring a new fight, and this time they would run over frightened Republicans. Well, it's September now... how's that going?

From the Washington Post-

Saying the coming weeks will be "one of the last opportunities" to alter the course of the war, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said he is now willing to compromise with Republicans to find ways to limit troop deployments in Iraq.

You're already 'compromising'?(*) You haven't even started negotiating!!

(*Compromise = Republicans get all they want with blank check, Democrats walk away confused and defeated)

More-

Reid acknowledged that his previous firm demand for a spring withdrawal deadline had become an obstacle for a small but growing number of Republicans who have said they want to end the war but have been unwilling to set a timeline.

Had become? Always was, Senator. Of course Republicans say they want to end the war (even the Senate's biggest war-fan, Joe Lieberman, promised voters he would end the war last summer). They're getting yelled at by their constituents too, so they say they want to end it, but they vote for its indefinite continuation. Your job is to change that. Apparently not, though, because...

"I don't think we have to think that our way is the only way," Reid said of specific dates during an interview in his office here. "I'm not saying, 'Republicans, do what we want to do.' Just give me something that you think you would like to do, that accomplishes some or all of what I want to do."

In short, Sen. Reid is saying that-- as Senate Majority Leader-- it would be wrong for him to try and get the minority to support the decision of the majority... not just the Senate majority mind you, but the vast majority of the American people as well. Unbelievable.

Sen. Reid's spokesperson clarifies the remarks, but said clarification doesn't help.

I almost think that Democrats went so long without any real power in Congress, they psychologically don't even realize that... 1) they're in charge now, 2) the GOP is in complete disarray, and 3) the President's approval ratings have bottomed out.

I can respect it if Congress put up the political fight of their lives and got vetoed or outmaneuvered. But laying down before the fight begins is pathetic. And this isn't some run-of-the-mill farm subsidy bill we're debating here, it's a war. An actual war where human beings are fighting and dying. They deserve better than this and so do we.

If you're the articulate type, you can contact Sen. Reid's office(s)... here.