http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/120...q_optimism.html</p> <p class="headerred">Reid pushes back on Iraq optimism</p> Democrats are increasingly bailing on their previously held view that the troop surge in Iraq has been a "failure," but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid isn't ready to jump on the bandwagon with other Democrats who say the surge has worked.</p> The Senate re-opened for business on Monday after a two-week Thanksgiving break, during which key Democrats traveled to Iraq and declared that the surge is working, at least from a security and military perspective. Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), one the top war critics, stunned fellow Democrats late last week with his statement that "the surge is working," even though he added that political reconciliation has been lagging. Murtha's view was backed by Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), who also said the surge worked after he returned from Iraq.</p> But Reid, in a Monday press conference, ceded no ground.</p> "The surge hasn't accomplished its goals," Reid said. "... We're involved, still, in an intractable civil war."</p> Reid's comments show that Democratic leaders in Washington may not be on the same page as their rank-and-file members when it comes to interpreting results on the ground in Iraq. Reid, as a leader, still needs to maintain some negotiating leverage as Democrats try to figure out a way to give President Bush some $50 billion in temporary war finding while at least attaching some strings to the money so it's not a blank check for the war.</p> Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took to the Senate floor on Monday to highlight the "stunning reversal" in Iraq, and chided Democrats, saying "unfortunately, talk of congratulations is scarce among the anti-war left."</p> Reid said Monday that the Senate still might take up a war funding bill before Christmas, and Democrats were still trying to find a compromise so it doesn't look like they've caved in to the White House on troop funding. Democrats are considering tweakingtroop withdrawal language to lure a few more GOP supporters so the Senate could achieve a 60-vote filibuster-proof margin.</p> "I think we'll address war funding this month," Reid said.</p> McConnell says negotiations on war funding, have heated up in recent days, and suggested that the $50 billion "bridge" funding could be rolled into one giant omnibus spending package before the end of the year.</p> Reid also accused President Bush of bluffing about the potential layoffs of 100,000 Pentagon employees if the war funding doesn't come through immediately. Bush says civilian employees will be furloughed because the Pentagon will have to pull from regular accounts to fund the war due to the Democrats' intransigence on Iraq funding.</p> Reid says that's just not true, adding that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates assured the Senate that the Army and Marines have month through the end of February.</p> "He's not leveling with the American people," Reid said. "The Army has enough money until the first of March."</p>
Just to remind you, Baghdad Bob was Saddam's spokesman who was saying "There's no American Troops in Baghdad" while there was video of our tanks driving through the streets of the city.</p> Hey Harry - denial doesn't make it not so, it's just denial.</p> </p>
Harry Reid is an idiot. Murtha, one of the most outspoken war critics, has come back from Iraq and said that the surge is working militarily. Sure Iraq's political system is messed up but the fact is that the surge is working.</p> Reid is trying togain some leverage on this issue but he really doesn't. Bush has a veto pen and enough Republicans in the Senate to kill any democratic attempt to add troop withdraw limits. Whether they like it or not Harry Reid and the democrats are just going to have to accept that they will be funding the war with no official timetable for troop withdraws for the next year.</p>
The Democrats aren't funding the war. The Pentagon is basically running on steam, and has been for a few months now. Push will come to shove, however, when the Pentagon starts firing its civilian workers due to lack of funding.</p> Reid's problem is twofold. He looks stupid, obviously, but he's a politician, it's to be expected. The real problem is that he's basically rooting against our success, which brings into question anything else he's for or against. It'd be another thing to say "We need to be doing much better!" (to which I agree).</p> The interesting thing about Murtha is he quickly had to address his "surge is working" remarks after he was taken to the woodshed by the leadership in his party. Says all you need to know about his party.</p> (I'm not suggesting the Republicans are particuarly any good either, but they're not borderline treasonous).</p> </p>
