Reply #42: well, the public is of two minds, so you shouldn't be surprised that their representatives are

[onenote]

First, a majority of the public wants the war to end (i.e. supports a timetable) but doesn't support immediate defunding.

Second, the will of the Democratic caucus reflects this two-mindedness.

Finally, this is nothing new. During the campaign, many Democrats ran campaigns that opposed the war, but did not push for immediate withdrawal. Indeed, that was probably the position of far more Democrats than those who publicly proclaimed they were for immediate withdrawal.

Maybe that's having it both ways, or maybe its representing an electorate that massively supported the war initially and is slowly but surely changing its mind. Its hardly a surprise that many of those who once supported but are now changing their position aren't as far along in their opposition as those of us who opposed the war from the outset.