I’m having a hard time reading the current situation in Congress. Reid and Pelosi both did exceptional jobs herding their wayward members and sending a tough bill to the President. His veto was so certain that it was accepted as fact before any votes had taken place. Since there have been no surprises, and the Democratic leadership failed to take my advice, I’m mystified by the disarray now wafting from the left side of the aisle. Sarabeth and I disagree about the Washington Post story asserting that the timetable is off the table; she thinks it’s irresponsible reporting, I think they have it right. But either way, it’s clear that Democrats were not prepared for the only outcome that was ever going to happen. The three options as I see them are now: 1) send the same bill back sans timetable (total cave), 2) send a two-month funding bill sans timetable (short leash), and 3) send the same bill back and let Bush veto it again.

I hope that Dems can read a poll well enough not to go with option 1. Obviously they are concerned about accusations of “abandoning the troops,” but whatever bill they pass next will have funding, and another veto, now or in two months, will be the second time the President refused to sign a bill containing funding for the war because he wants it to go on forever. That’s an untenable position, and all the idiotic articles in the media blaming Democrats won’t change the fact that a large majority of Americans are in favor of ending this war. Truth be told, I’m sympathetic to option 2 because I believe that two months from now, the war will be even more unpopular than it is now, and another veto would, at that point, essentially end the Bush Presidency. The problem with kicking the can down the road is that the damage will be measured in the lives and health of more soldiers.

John Edwards is arguing for option 3, and he makes a convincing case:

John Edwards for President – Edwards Statement On Iraq War Funding And Authorization:

Congress has a clear choice – they can talk about ending the war, or they can just end it. The only way for Congress to end the war is to cut off the money for it, and they should concentrate on doing just that. Anything else is just noise.
[...]
They should send him the same bill he just vetoed, one that supports our troops, ends the war, and brings them home.

I’m all for holding onto the initiative and forcing Bush to veto another bill right now. However, I think sending back the same bill looks petty, and Democrats should consider sending a similar bill, only moving up the timetable. I’ve done more than my share of negotiating, and one lesson I’ve learned is that in a contentious high-stakes situation, you only compromise when yours is the weaker position. Democrats have the backing of two-thirds plus of the American people. Make the timetable shorter, and tell Bush that this is as good as he’s going to get. He can have the current withdrawal deadline of August 2008. Current funding runs out sometime in July. If no funding passes, the troops come home then.

Democrats should have been ready to roll with this on Wednesday, but it’s not too late. But it will be as long as they allow themselves to appear disorganized and indecisive.