Keeping the Pressure On

And after mulling it over more than I'd expected to my sense is that Pelosi's got the right pragmatic approach. The votes aren't there, just yet, for ending the war. The votes are almost there, possibly there, for what she's trying to do, which is to lay down the first serious marker in what will undoubtedly become a series of such, each ratcheting up political pressure on the White House.

At this point it's unrealistic to expect either that the White House is going to achieve any success in Iraq or that it will honestly inform the public about what it's doing. Odds are things will get noticeably worse, further agitating American voters. This is not a static situation so static thinking doesn't make sense. Anticipating a stronger political position in the near- to mid-term and bearing in mind that the goal is to wind the war down as quickly as possible, some preliminary groundwork must take place. Pelosi's budget compromise leaves the door wide open for more draconian bills in the future but doesn't stifle those members with more clearly defined anti-war positions. Indeed, I should think it encourages them. Anti-war activists, too.

One hates to admit, perhaps, that Rep. Obey is right: the alternative would be simply to fund the war without reservations.