A Million Little Iraq Policies

The president's scoffing at war opponents and their lack of an awesome plan to fix Iraq has evidently  rankled anti-war Democrats and Republicans. Dana Milbank spent Wednesday shuffling back and forth on Capitol Hill listening to them propose their own plans. Oh, and here's the funny bit: Because none of these people think they can stop the war or the surge, they're not actually doing the groundwork to pass the bills.

[Connecticut Sen. Chris] Dodd, who last week declared his presidential bid on "Imus in the Morning," was the first to demonstrate McHugh's thesis. "It is time," he said at his morning news conference, to "offer meaningful action." He would require a new war authorization.

So would he enforce this by cutting off funding for the war?

"No, we've stayed away from the funding here," Dodd answered.

Any co-sponsors? "I haven't asked."

How about supporters in the House? "I haven't talked to anyone on the House side about it, either."

There is an effort in the House of Representatives to introduce a bill cutting off funds to continue the war, introduced yesterday by liberal House Democrats and given zero media coverage. But according to Republicans I talked to, that's because any bill to actually defund the war "would go down in flames." So we get posturing and the revelation that the average senator doesn't actually seem more presidential than GWB.