“The negotiations are over,” said Mr. Reid,

[rodeodance]

Our slim majority is showing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/washington/07cong.html?_r=1&th=&oref=slogin&emc=th&pagewanted=print


.......By the end of the day on Tuesday, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said he saw little prospect that Democrats and Republicans could reach agreement on a plan to bring the resolution to the floor. “The negotiations are over,” said Mr. Reid, who dismissed Republican efforts to force a separate vote on the war money as a ploy intended to distract the public from the matter of whether senators supported or opposed the president’s policy.

Republicans spent the day trying to counter the idea that they had been obstructionists in impeding the debate. It was a label they had successfully hung on Democrats for years, and they did not appreciate the role reversal. They said their main goal had been to ensure that the Senate could guarantee in a separate resolution that Congress would not endanger forces in the field by restricting spending in the future.

“I can’t believe that any parent, any husband, wife, son, daughter of any soldier serving in Iraq doesn’t expect the Congress to take that position,” said Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, who had made some retooled overtures to Democrats to try to break the deadlock.

But the lingering impasse forced the hand of House Democrats, who had become increasingly impatient waiting for the Senate to weigh in on the president’s troop plan. Unwilling to wait any longer, the Democratic leadership said it would set aside three days next week to deliver its own verdict on the administration strategy.........

[aquart]

1. Republicans don't want to discuss their mistakes.

Perfectly natural for gutless, treasonous, indictable criminals.

[Leopolds Ghost]

2. Republicans want to "force" a vote on the War money and Reid dismissed it

as a "ploy" designed to call out the fact that the Democrats refuse to de-fund the escalation.

[papau]

3. stopping funds via a cap on number in Iraq is not a de-funding of troops -Ried did

well yesterday - Time to call the GOP on their word game crap.

[Toots]

4. Democrats will always fund the troops, they will just fund them here in the USA

instead of in Iraq or Iran...