Democrats capitulate on war funds

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

Congressional Democrats yesterday backed down in the standoff with the White House over war funds, abandoning their veto-instigating effort to link deadlines for withdrawing troops from Iraq to President Bush's request for more than $100 billion in emergency spending.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, said the new measure will have benchmarks backed up by the threat of cutting off U.S. aid to Iraq -- a concept Mr. Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just days ago denounced as too weak.

Mr. Reid said it will be the first time Mr. Bush does not get a blank check for the war, but the concession caused consternation in the Democratic caucus and was called capitulation by the party's war opponents. Even Mrs. Pelosi indicated she wouldn't support it.

"It's the president's legislation, not the Democrats'," said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, California Democrat and co-founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus. "It's going to take Republicans to pass it."

Sen. Russ Feingold, Wisconsin Democrat and one of the chamber's loudest antiwar voices, called the benchmarks "toothless."

"There has been a lot of tough talk from members of Congress about wanting to end this war, but it looks like the desire for political comfort won out over real action," he said.

The House is expected to vote on the bill, which is still being drafted, tomorrow, followed by a Senate vote that evening, completing the legislation before the Democrat-led Congress' self-imposed deadline of May 28, when lawmakers take a weeklong Memorial Day recess.

"Democrats have finally conceded defeat in their effort to include mandatory surrender dates in a funding bill for the troops," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican.

But the White House said Mr. Bush does not see the bill in "Capitol Hill terms" of winners and losers.

"What will be seen as a victory is providing ... the funding and flexibility the forces need," said White House spokesman Tony Snow. "That's what we've wanted all along."