TPM's Greg Sargent disappointed in the House bill on Iraq.

[madfloridian]

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/mar/12/house_dem_leaderships_bill_on_iraq_obtained

"The key points about the bill you need to know for now are as follows:

First, though the bill mandates withdrawal by Fall 2008 at the latest, it's going to be at least partly a disappointment to some House liberals. That's because language that was in earlier drafts that would have clipped funding after the deadline -- as opposed to merely declaring the war illegal -- has been taken out.

House leaders will argue that the bill does do its job, because it declares the war illegal beyond a certain date. But liberal House sources say this removed language was critical in ending the war in practice, because it would enforce the war's end with the power of the purse rather than requiring a trip to court to force an end to the war should Bush insist on keeping it going in defiance of the legislation.

Second, in another disappointment to House liberals, key language mandating that Bush get Congressional approval before going to war with Iran has been taken out. This was a concession to Blue Dog Dems who fear that if they vote for any measure tying the Commander in Chief's hands in any way, it will make them vulnerable in their moderate districts, a House staffer says.

...."If this all sounds half-baked, that's because it is -- we only just got a chunk of the bill sent to us, and it's pretty dense stuff. Maybe you can help us out -- you can view the key part of the bill here.

[David Dunham]

1. Good politics is the result of compromise.

[shance]

3. Bullshit. A seven year coup detat is not about politics OR compromise.

It's the ANTITHESIS of compromise.

[madfloridian]

4. Well, may I say...

that we are in a deadly quagmire in Iraq because there was that attitude. No one spoke, even those who knew Iraq was not an immediate threat. Many on our side knew, and they went along.

Sometimes compromise is fine, but sometimes it is not.

We got elected to stand up against this war and perhaps Iran as well.

I fear we are abdicating our duty to keep the minority happy.

[Elidor]

2. "A liberal House Dem says that the bill is nonetheless a positive"

It's a positive POS. So far, it carries about as much weight as a glee club resolution to sing only in the key of C. I'm glad we're off to something of a start. Now let's put some teeth in the damn thing.

When you make a bill that says you will do nothing if your conditions are not met, that's not compromise: that's abdication of responsibility.