'Congress Is Standing Up to President Bush'
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BY JAMES TARANTO
Friday, March 23, 2007
By a vote of 218-212, the House has approved a $124 billion supplemental spending bill to fund the military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill includes a promise that the U.S. will surrender in Iraq by Sept. 1, 2008.
This morning's New York Times explains that passage of the Democrat-backed measure was in doubt because some ultraliberal lawmakers objected to spending one more dollar supporting the troops:
<<< Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, used an array of persuasion techniques--some hard, some soft--as she walked through the House chamber on Thursday, seeking out undecided legislators in hopes of securing the 218 votes needed to pass the measure. Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia and a former civil rights leader and chief deputy whip, told Ms. Pelosi this week that he would oppose the bill because of his commitment to nonviolence and his unwillingness to devote more money to the war. "Let's pray about it," he recalled Ms. Pelosi saying. Ultimately, he added, "she respected my decision." >>>
In the event, 14 Democrats--a mix of far-left types like Lewis, Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Maxine Waters of California and antisurrender moderates like Dan Boren of Oklahoma, Jim Marshall of Georgia and Gene Taylor of Mississippi--voted against the bill. Just two Republicans, Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland and Walter "Freedom Fries" Jones of North Carolina--voted "yes." California Democrat Fortney Hillman Stark Jr. voted "present."
That Times piece has a revealing explanation of Democratic motives:
<<< In conversations with dozens of lawmakers in recent weeks, often in her Capitol suite or in a late-night telephone call, Ms. Pelosi argued aggressively for the bill, even as she empathized with their anguish over how to vote. But in the end, participants said, her argument often boiled down to this: Did they want a headline saying, "Congress is standing up to President Bush," or "Congress gives President Bush free rein?" >>>
Mission accomplished, Nancy: See the top of this item ['The bill includes a promise that the U.S. will surrender in Iraq by Sept. 1, 2008.']. But this tells you all you need to know about Democratic "leadership" in Congress. It doesn't matter what's good for the country or whether America defeats its foreign enemies, only that the headlines make the Dems look tough on their domestic adversaries.
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