The meeting between Dem Congressional leaders and the White House over how to resolve the Iraq war spending standoff has just ended, and it looks like things are at a serious impasse.Enough already. Send Bush a bill that imposes unwaivable timetables and tell the president that this is the last bill he'll be getting with regard to funding of the Iraq Catastrophe. Also tell him that if he does choose to veto this bill, then he should immediately order the military to start making plans to withdraw from Iraq before the money runs out.
Dem leaders just said at their post-meeting press availability that the White House's negotiators rejected everything that Dems offered. A Dem offer of a war timetable that the President could actually waive -- that is, not follow? Rejected. A Dem offer to get rid of the pork in the supplemental? Also rejected.
Few additional details are yet available on what else exactly was offered and rejected, but it's clear that things are at a standstill right now. As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just said on CNN, the difference between Democrats and the President is stark: Dems want accountability, the President wants none. "He will not accept any accountability or responsibility," Pelosi said.
Bush wants Congress to cut funding on Iraq so he can later blame the Democrats when we are forced to withdraw. That's fine with me. Let's just get the hell out.
