A proposal that Democrats put forward as their best chance of changing the course of the Iraq war died on the Senate floor today, dealing the latest defeat to opponents of the war as Republicans stood firmly behind President Bush.
... It means that Congress will not intervene in the foreseeable future,” said Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, the independent Democrat who votes with the Republicans on war issues. “The fact that it didn’t get enough votes says that Congress doesn’t have the votes to stop this strategy of success from going forward.” To a large extent, the Senate vote served as crucial test of the war plan that President Bush put forward last week, calling for only gradual reductions in troop levels in Iraq from their current highs and leaving intact by next summer a main body of more than 130,000 troops, about the same number as last February.
This was the nearly sure-fire measure proposed by Jim Webb and supported by John Warner among others. Senator Warner withdrew his support at the last minute, the New York Times reports, having been influenced by a conversation with Defense Secretary Gates.
That's pretty much the end of the game for the Democrats. Only it's not a game. "Democrats seemed resigned to having little chance of influencing the war strategy anytime soon."
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, who worked to defeat the Webb plan, acknowledged that the solid Republican support for the war could have political repercussions.
“The Republicans own this war,” said Mr. Graham, adding that the public is beginning to recognize larger stakes in the conflict beyond the control of Iraq. “If it goes bad, the nation loses and the Republican party loses disproportionately compared to the Democratic Party.”
That's cheerful. Except for the troops and civilians who will die during this "game" with endless innings, and who are no longer invested in the political future of either party.
