Dems Delayed Reaction - Democrats Promise Delays On Troop Funding After Repeatedly Voting On Legislation They Knew They Couldn't Pass
Yesterday, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) Announced That He Would Delay Action On Troop Funding Until Next Year:
"House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) Said Tuesday That He Will Hold $190 Billion In Funding For The Iraq War Hostage Until President Bush Accedes To His Demands For An Exit Strategy ..." (Steven T. Dennis, "Obey Fires Up Debate On Iraq," Roll Call, 10/3/07)
"Obey And Murtha Said They Would Wait Until As Late As March 2008 To Provide The Full Amount Of War Spending, And Would Do So Then Only If Bush Agrees To Their Three Conditions." (John M. Donnelly, "House Appropriators To Delay War Supplemental," CQ Today, 10/2/07)
Obey Also Announced A Plan To Raise Taxes To Pay For The War That He Acknowledged Lacked The Support To Pass:
"When Three Senior Democrats Proposed A Special Tax Tuesday To Fund The War In Iraq, It Was Quickly Shot Down And Dismissed As Half-Baked. And That Was The View Of Democratic Leaders." (Martin Kady II and John Bresnahan, "Iraq Taxes Toxic For Democrats," The Politico, 10/2/07)
"Mr. Obey...Said He Did Not Expect Democratic Leaders To Embrace The Tax Proposal But Said The Goal Was To 'Call The President's Bluff On Fiscal Responsibility.'" (David M. Herszenhorn, "On War Funding, Democrats Have A Day Of Disagreement," The New York Times, 10/3/07)
In September, Democrats Delayed Passage Of The Defense Authorization Bill By Voting For Iraq Withdrawal Legislation That Lacked The Votes Needed To Pass:
"The Senate Overwhelmingly Rejected A Bill That Would Have Cut Off Funds For U.S. Combat Troops In Iraq, As Democrats Said That Staging Repeated Failed Votes For A Pullout Is A Worthwhile Exercise." (S.A. Miller, "Senate Bill To Cut Funds For Troops Fails," The Washington Times, 9/21/07)
"Democrats Hold A Thin Majority In The Senate And Similar Legislation Has Repeatedly Fallen Short Of The 60 Votes Needed To Break A GOP Filibuster." (Anne Flaherty, "Democrats Won't Temper Their Approach On Iraq Legislation To Attract Republicans," The Associated Press, 9/18/07)
In July, Democrats Delayed Action On The Defense Authorization Bill By Holding An All-Night Session On Similar Iraq Withdrawal Legislation, Also Knowing It Would Not Pass:
"Although Democrats Expect To Fall Well Short Of 60 Votes ... They Hope That The All-Night Session Will Show Antiwar Voters That The Party Is Not Relenting ..." (Shailagh Murray and Paul Kane, "Senators Pull All-Nighter For Debate On Iraq War," The Washington Post, 7/18/07)
- Fox News' Major Garrett: "Senator Reid's aides say of course it is a stunt, but it's meant to focus attention on the fact that Republicans seem unwilling to take any vote on Iraq." (Fox News' "Studio B," 7/16/07)
"It Was Precisely The Outcome That Every Senate Watcher Expected When Reid Announced The All-Nighter. Not A Single Vote Was Changed By All Those Speeches In An Empty Chamber." (Editorial, "Senate's All-Nighter Was A Waste Of Time," The [Cleveland] Plain Dealer, 7/20/07)
Earlier This Year, Democrats Delayed Troop Funding By Attaching A Timetable For Withdrawal To An Iraq Spending Bill, Inviting A Presidential Veto That They Could Not Override:
"Democrats Acknowledge They Do Not Have Enough Support In Congress To Override Bush's Veto, But Say They Will Continue To Ratchet Up The Pressure Until He Changes Course." (Anne Flaherty, "Bush Consults GOP Lawmakers Thursday As He Readies Likely Veto Fight With Democrats," The Associated Press, 3/29/07)
"The House's Decision To Hold A Vote On The Supplemental Despite A White House Veto Threat And Lukewarm Senate Reception To The Idea Could Make Further Negotiations Difficult." (Liriel Higa, "House Cranks Out Supplementals," CQ Weekly, 5/11/07)
