But the Iraq parliament did succeed in doing something the U.S. Congress has not: A majority of Parliament members announced support for a bill that would impose timelines for American troop withdrawal and freeze the number of American troops. I've said for a long time there would have to be a political solution, not a military solution to this war. Maybe the Iraqis will beat us to it.

The Iraqis, or rather a majority of Iraqis, have wanted us out since at least the six-month mark. If we were really trying to promote democracy and listen to the Iraqi people we would've mostly pulled out several years ago.

I think this is a very important point, because it gives direct lie to the claim that we're promoting Democracy in Iraq; "promoting Democracy" while acting in direct opposition to the will of the people is not promoting Democracy at all. It is the very antithesis of Democracy.

http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8P1P5EO0.html

So what comes after the extended deployments? More extended deployments? Will our troops be forced to serve for 20 years in the field, like the Roman soldiers did?

Somebody needs to get after this administration for abusing our troops. If they really want to stay in Iraq for a long period of time, they can't just extend the deployments indefinitely. At some point they need a draft or to support a massive volunteer effort. They need to make some serious provision for replacing the troops.

Look, I realize I’m hopelessly ignorant and naive, but I just don’t get what the hell is going on. The Democrats appear to be in some kind of disoriented state of shock, demoralized and utterly flummoxed about what happened to them and how to proceed from here. Jesus Christ, WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY THINK WAS GONNA HAPPEN? Were they under the impression that Bush was going to express some kind of heartfelt gratitude that they agreed to fund the war, and announce that, yes, indeedy, he’ll get right on some kind of enforcement mechanism to enforce the new timetables? Do they not realize that the petulant half-wit would happily machine gun every two-year-old child in Iraq in order to enforce his imperious commands exactly as issued?

Goddamn it, GROW SOME FUCKING BALLS, and tell the simpering imbecile to take his veto and shove it up his ass. Some 65% of the American public wants the troops out of Iraq, on precisely the terms the Democrats have proposed. Moreover, the Democrats have already compromised by producing a second bill, giving them additional political cover. Now is the time to tell the Imbecile-in-Chief – loudly and often – “You’ve got your funding bill; do whatever the fuck you want, but it’s the last one you’re getting. Feel free to veto it; if you do we’ll be delighted to cooperate in arranging an orderly transition for bringing the troops home from Iraq.

The result? Win/win situation for the Democrats. But, as I’ve said before, it does take the balls to take Bush by the back of the head and rub his snout in the pile of shit he deposited on the White House lawn. Stephen Colbert did it; let’s see if the Democrats can find the guts to do so too.

The turning tanker to which Fineman referred on Countdown is the MSM finally internalizing the fact that the American people are against this war and want it to end. I don't really know how pivotal the visit to W by the 11 congressmen was. It is sure hard to imagine something like that happening even a year ago. Bush is getting backed into a corner and his support is weakening. Skeptics like Atrios believe the GOP will never really cave but they are masters at flip-flopping then denying that they flip-flopped. Their very electoral survival is at stake and the writing on the wall is horrible for them. This is a GOOPer war and it will hang around their necks for generations.

I'm still waiting for de-Buushification.

Darn! I missed you on Scarborough. I agree, that this group of moderates that supposedly really gave it to the president, what a sham. They just want cover at home, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing was cooked up by the White House.It really shows the craveness of Tim Russert and his willingness to play along.Anyway, when people talk of political progress in the Iraq Parliment no one explores the terms of the oil bill and why it has been so hard to pass. Could it be that the Iraqs don't see the advantages for their people, could it be that the advantages go instead to the oil companies?

The "meeting" between the "president" and the "discontented" GOP representatives was, I'm absolutely sure, as scripted as Wrestlemania beforehand. There is no way W's handlers are going to let him talk to people in his own party who are about to Sass the Decider.

This is all for our entertainment. "OK, you guys come to a meeting all serious like. Tell the press you want the President to cave. Then I'll come out in favor of something I have no intention of signing and later we'll just say somthing different and the press will report it like that's what we've been saying all along."

Gee. I wonder where I've seen this movie before??? Oh yes. The "renegade" GOP senators who "forced compromise" onto the White House regarding the renewal of the Patriot Act. The only thing that got "compromised" there were our civil rights. The Patriot Act is what is allowing W and his crony in Justice "Gonzo the Great" to turn the Department into a satellite office of the RNC, not to mention, you know, torturing innocent people and repealing the 4th amendment without bothering to, you know, actually repeal the 4th amendment...

How the hell did this happen to us?

But I digress. Today's play isn't the charade around the Patriot Act. It's the rending of cloth and the gnashing of teeth over Congress' supposed failure to "support the troops".

I'm sorry. I don't blame the GOP for this nonsense. They are playing out a bad hand by trying to bluff the table. They have too much in the pot to fold now. I blame the Democratic Congress for this one. By failing to work together, they provide the wedge the GOP needs to fracture the caucus and allow the President to continue this ridiculous show. To continue my poker analogy a bit further, if the Dems went "all in" on this, the GOP members of Congress would be forced to fold, less they bust out trying to salvage W's unsalvagable legacy.

The people, in every poll taken, overwhelmingly want this war to end. If not right now, then very soon. The people spoke by changing leadership in the one branch of government that was up for grabs in 2006. That leadership MUST do the will of the people and end this war, if not now, then very soon. And it couldn't be easier. Continue to send bills to the President that he will bull-headedly refuse to sign. Make a big show about the money you have appropriated for the troops, but that the President refuses to accept. And let the funding for the war run out.

That's it. The war is over. Pass funding for redeployment use only.