A Good Start

Congress did the right thing. Today the Senate voted 51-46 to send the revised bill for military spending in Iraq and Afghanistan to the Prez, a day after the House, on a 218-208 vote, did the same thing. It's got a timeline for started to withdraw troops from Iraq, as well as benchmarks for the Iraqi government to achieve to keep the occupation going. The Prez is almost certain to veto, and then the ball goes back to Congress's court.

Previously, I'd been somewhat ambivalent about the Dems setting themselves up for a standoff with Bush, but I may have spoken too soon. There are a couple of good strategies they've got up their sleeves, and they may be teasing out some willingness to compromise on the other side. One idea the Dems have got is to provide funding for the military for just a short time. This would be poetic justice for the administration, which has insisted on keeping this whole operation on the side, holding it up separate from normal budgeting and just demanding supplemental spending bill after supplemental spending bill. Well, if Bush is now demanding that these supplemental spending bills now come without strings attached, let's give him spending bill after spending bill after spending bill. Let the bill he signs be good for three months. When that budget has all been used back, send him the bill with the timetable and benchmarks. When he continues to veto it, give him another short-term bill without strings so that Congressional Repubs can associate themselves more and more with the no strings, no accountability Iraqi war, and we can see how that plays in the 2008 Congressional elections. At the least, they'll be voted out of office in a year and a half. But best case?

The best case, of course, would be that Congressional Repubs join Dems to force a redeployment of troops and the beginning of an endgame for the war. Could we be seeing the first hesitant steps toward that already? I'm quite surprised by this, but The Washington Post is reporting that Senate Repubs are already maneuvering themselves into compromise.

bipartisan negotiations have already started on a compromise to cool the red-hot war debate, at least on the funding front.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) spoke with Bush yesterday morning and later held initial talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). Senior Democratic and Republican lawmakers began to weigh alternatives to the legislation's most contentious provision, the binding withdrawal terms. The goal is to be more flexible but still restrain how Bush conducts the war.

If the Dems can remain on point, I'm curious to see where this new direction might lead.