Senate Rejects Another Iraq Funding Cutoff Plan
This morning, the Senate voted 67-29 on a procedural motion that effectively rejected the Democrats' latest effort to cut off funding for the Iraq war. The proposal, an amendment to a water projects bill having nothing to do with Iraq, was sponsored by Russ Feingold. It would have cut off funding for the Iraq war by March 31, 2008. The roll call is here; no Republicans voted for the proposal, and a number of Democrats voted against it.
The New York Times called the vote a "stinging defeat" for antiwar Democrats that "underscored the divisions among Democrats over how to oppose the administration’s Iraq policy, as well as widespread fear of being seen as undercutting American troops."
Presidential politics intruded as well; both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama voted for Feingold's cutoff plan. Their votes are, of course, an accurate barometer of where the Democrats' base is on the war. The flailing around that Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats are doing on the issue reflects their need to show the base that they are trying to do something to foil the President, while the "No" votes cast by Democrats from states like North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana and Florida reflect, I think, not only a need to be perceived as supportive of the troops, but also a very real fear of being seen as a party of defeat and surrender.
