GOP Will Not Block Funding Bill

Stating that they know the President will veto it, Democrats will not be able to override the veto, and will likely have to give in and give the President a bill that doesn't include what they refer to as a "surrender date," the Senate GOP will not filibuster the House emergency supplemental bill.

The bill is facing a tight vote in the Senate, but most Democrats are expected to support the bill. Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) probably the most conservative Democrat in the Senate announced he was supporting the bill. Senator Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas) is on the fence. Both earlier opposed a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq along with Senator Joe Lieberman (Whatever-Connecticut). Senator Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) supported the timetable and, with one or two other moderate endangered Republican Senators, may have to support this bill in order for it to pass. It sounds like the Democrats have the 51 votes needed to pass the bill.

With the president's veto imminent, Democrats will have to prepare for the reality that they may lose this battle over the Iraq war one last time. Failing to change the bill to support the president's desires, as much as I don't want to change the bill to fit his wants and needs, will mean no funding for the troops and will lead to a sudden, unprepared withdrawal from Iraq which will only exacerbate the Republican arguments; that is assuming he even withdraws the troops at all and doesn't decide to leave them there as sitting ducks for the Iraqi insurgency and use them as a political tool against the Democrats.

It's a fine line the Democrats walk here, but the public is on their side. 60% of the country supports the Democrats' bill, while only 33% support the President's approach.

My prediction is the Democrats give in to the president one last time, but reiterate to the President that this WILL BE the last time. Voters snarl at the Democrats for not being tough enough, but it gives them another battling cry and brings Bush down even further. Another six months of being tough on the president to find a way out and when the next funding bill comes up for a vote, closer to the 2008 elections, we may have a different story.

Meanwhile, they investigate the bad ethics and corruption inside the administration and take the eye off their lack of power over the war.