First he was standing firm on the deadline, then he decided to try to attract Republican Senators so he softened the deadline. He couldn't attract any Senators, so now he's back to a hard deadline. I don't think he gave himself enough time to attract anyone.
Unable to garner enough Republican support, Senate Democratic leaders said yesterday that they are abandoning a bipartisan effort to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq by next spring.
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said that Democrats had been willing to make the troop withdrawal a "goal" in order to attract GOP support, but it never materialized. Instead, Reid will again push for a firm deadline, this time June 2008, along with a stronger effort at cutting off war funding.
"It's all definite timelines," Reid said.
The Senate will resume the war debate today, and Reid invited Republicans to offer proposals. His spokesman said that several possibilities are being negotiated, although it appeared unlikely they will meet the 60-vote threshold to pass.
And then there's this:
The other bipartisan offer on the table, written by Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), would require an immediate shift of mission in Iraq away from combat toward border security, counterterrorism and the training of Iraqi security forces. Collins said a number of senators from both parties began exploring whether the two measures could be melded into one that could attract at least 60 votes.Just what this war needs, Sentators micromanaging the war.
Those conversations are to continue today as senators try to find amendments to introduce next week. "That is the way forward," Collins said.
