There is nothing like a jolt on a Monday morning right before Thanksgiving to get you to sit up and take notice.
However, as some have predicted, it looks like the Senate Democrats are on the verge of capitulating again with regards to Iraq War funding.
More after the flip...
According to Congressional Quarterly, Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. Daniel Inouye will be reintroducing a new funding bridge for the Iraq War that strips timeline language and replaces it with a "Mr. Bush, please bring the troops home. Pretty please!"
The next partial-year war funding bill, although by no means finalized, would still include the Democrats’ call for a change of mission in Iraq, but without controversial withdrawal dates — a move that is intended to draw enough Republican votes to advance legislation in the Senate.
So, here we are again.
The Democrats offer a bill with timelines, it fails to get the 60 votes to advance, the Republicans start their PR campaign about how the Democrats don't support the troops, and, like clockwork, the Democrats strip the language and replace it with language that means nothing.
The only hope is that the House Democratic leadership is standing firm and won't give in on the timelines.
I am hoping that they will stand tall and not let the Republican spin machine crack their foundation, but after so many times of being told that there would be no funding unless the troops come home and then to see it all crumble away because the Democrats think the public will turn on them (haven't they already?) if they don't fund the troops as Bush wants.
Keep your fingers crossed that the House stands firm, but don't be too surprised to see any timeline language stripped in conference.