Dems caving in to Bush?

Yesterday, Bush met with members of the House and Senate, ostensibly to bridge the impasse over a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq that has stalled the "emergency supplemental" war funding bill - you know, the one Bush is waiting to veto, the one that had all that "pork" like funding for VA hospitals, financial support for military families, and funding for LIHEAP and CHIP programs.

Bush's message to the Dems was likely, "If you don't give me what I want, I'm not going to give you anything."

No surprise, then, that the Dems may scroll back their firm timetable to an "advisory" one - meaning, they will strip the teeth out of the bill, giving Bush exactly what he wants: the right to occupy Iraq until the PSAs are in place and the oil companies are pumping Iraq's money out of the ground and into their pockets.

Our elected officials are in an unenviable Catch-22 situation: If they press for the timetable (which Bush will keep vetoing), they will be painted as the "troop-hating" party; if they cave in, they risk letting down every American who voted Democratic in 2006.

Americans need to understand that the Democrats are hamstrung here. It is wholly unfortunate, but, without a veto-proof majority, even a Congressional majority is not enough to prevent Bush from getting exactly what he wants. Even more unfortunate is that many Republicans in Congress are all too happy to vote for the letter R; they will not listen to their constituents, in order to support Bush's failed policies.

This war will NOT end until the American people mobilize in ways not seen since the Vietnam War. We must be millions strong in front of the Congress and take a stand!