Dems Cop Out, Iraq Spending Bill Has a “Non-Binding” Pullout Date For Iraq
The Associated Press is reporting this as the Democrats “challenging” Bush and promises a “veto showdown” over the bill, but that sounds like spin to me. The real victory here is for Bush.
WASHINGTON — House-Senate negotiators approved a $124.2 billion Iraq war funding bill that sets up an almost certain veto fight with President Bush by requiring him to begin a withdrawal of U.S. forces by Oct. 1.
The stated goal is to remove most American combat brigades by next spring, but no binding deadline is set and significant forces could remain to train Iraqi units and pursue al Qaeda terrorist elements. In the interim, full funding is provided for the increased troop levels requested by the president this spring and summer.
But the timetable is shorter than what the House first voted on, and the fixed start date for a drawdown remains contentious. Mr. Bush, who met with his Baghdad commander, Army Gen. David Petraeus, again warned he would veto any measure that sets “an artificial timetable” for removing U.S. forces.
The “showdown” between Bush and the Dems over Iraq isn’t beginning, it’s over.
Bush won. Now all he needs to do is claim his victory.
The Democrats blinked, and for all their bluster the most anti-war element they could muster for this bill is a “non binding” withdrawal deadline.
If I were Bush I’d sign this bill the minute it hit my desk, and then make this brief statement to the American people:
“I signed this legislation today despite the inclusion in it of a non-binding withdrawal date from Iraq. I did this because it allows us to pursue the war in Iraq with full funding without any encumbering mandatory withdrawal dates. I did this because I’m willing to let the Democrats play their games and include their foolish, mean-nothing provisions in this bill if it means that we can get the funding the troops need to them as soon as possible.”
The media is in full spin mode, though. They’re talking of the “veto showdown” so that when Bush does sign this bill, and I think he will, they can say “BUSH CAVED AND AGREED TO A WITHDRAWAL DATE!” Which isn’t exactly true. He agreed to a non-binding withdrawal date that he has the full authority to ignore if he wants.
