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Thursday, June 28, 2007
Proxy Wars, Pt. II: DOD Authorization Bill
Congressional Democrats, still smarting from their perceived capitulation in May to President Bush on ending the war on Iraq, are serving notice that their next stand will come during the debate next month on H.R. 1585, the half-a-trillion-dollar Defense Department FY 2008 reauthorization bill.
According to Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chair of the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) H.R. 1585 will feature "timelines, parameters, accountability, and a pathway" to remove U.S. fighting men and women from Iraq.
Democrats, noting that Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) appear ready to pull the plug on the war in September, risk losing the high ground in the debate on how to end the war.
Their advantage in the polls on the question of which party Americans trust more regarding Iraq is narrrowing. In a mid-April poll, 58 percent said they trusted the Democrats to do a better job of handling situation in Iraq as opposed to 33 percent who trust Bush more. In early June, their advantage had narrowed to 51-38.
Senate Democrats may be spoiling for a proxy fight.
Posted by Dana Chasin
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