War Funding Bill Will Put Pelosi's Strength to the Test

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: War Funding Bill Will Put Pelosi's Strength to the Test
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 20, 2008; A10

After years of seeing the House pushed around by President Bush, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has learned to say no. The California Democrat's refusal last month to schedule a vote on a warrantless surveillance bill that the president favors, followed by her decision this month to scuttle a fast-track vote on a U.S.-Colombia trade agreement have shifted some power to the eastern end of Pennsylvania Avenue. But those tough stands also have raised expectations among antiwar activists and some lawmakers on the larger issue coming in the next two weeks: funding for the war in Iraq.

"What she's done is show people you can stand up to Bush and it's not the end of the world," said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), a prominent opponent of the Iraq war. "She reminded the rank-and-file here not only do we matter, but we're an equal branch of government, and she reminded the president we're no longer a cheap date."...

For many Democrats, the standoffs on terrorist surveillance and the Colombia trade deal have been eye-opening for their lack of political fallout....

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There is no question...that Pelosi's battles with Bush have buoyed House Democratic spirits. In the next two weeks her resolve will be put to the test. By month's end, House Democrats plan to produce a major supplemental spending bill -- totaling as much as $170 billion -- to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into the next presidency, channel more federal money to the ailing domestic economy and set policies that they hope will begin to move U.S. troops out of the Middle East....Democratic leaders have repeatedly said that, in the end, U.S. troops in the field will be funded. But expectations are high that finally Congress will be able to extract a significant policy concession for that money.

Win Without War, a coalition of 42 groups, is circulating a letter declaring that "it is past time to bring the Iraq war to an end" and that "the best course of action in the upcoming defense supplemental appropriations bill is to provide funding only for the safe and timely redeployment of U.S. troops out of Iraq." Antiwar Democrats are girding for a two-front battle. First, they want to beat back efforts to add popular domestic spending to any war funding, which would bolster support for the underlying bill. Then they want to stop any funding for the continuation of combat in Iraq. "We have two examples of what can happen when the caucus is unified enough to say no," said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus....

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House leadership is likely to prohibit permanent military bases in Iraq, torture by any government agency, and the deployment of troops into combat before they have rested at least as long as their previous combat tour. Senate Democrats will try to add billions of dollars of education benefits for returning troops. But Pelosi aides and allies have been quick to say that antiwar activists should not believe that because of the two earlier victories, Pelosi will stop a vote on war funding....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/19/AR2008041901696_pf.html

[VP505]

1. " Pelosi will stop a vote on war funding"

I'll believe it when I see it, so far standing up to Bu$h on Telecom immunity and the Columbia Free Trade Agreement is good but.....

[DeepModem Mom]

2. No -- article says activists should not believe she will stop vote on war funding --

"But Pelosi aides and allies have been quick to say that antiwar activists should not believe that because of the two earlier victories, Pelosi will stop a vote on war funding...."