What about separate legislation for timetables, benchmarks, milestones?

[AlCzervik]

whatever you want to call it, can democrats propose that? Separate legislation not attached to funding? i can't believe there wouldn't be republicans that wouldn't sign on to that, they must be getting hell when they go back home to their districts too.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. They can propose anything they want and it will go nowhere.

It will die in the senate if it even manages to pass in the house. Only appropriations bills are immune to getting blocked in the senate, and even then they get vetoed in the white house and then we cave in and participate in the crime.

The only power this congress has is a negative power: it can deny funding by not passing the appropriations bill. Nothing else is possible.

[AlCzervik]

2. couldn't they attach it to something else? the immigration bill maybe?

[Warren Stupidity]

3. The immigration bill is going nowhere.

But any bill that is not an appropriations bill can and will be blocked in the senate by the Republican minority, who it appears are not afraid to use the power they have, unlike our party leadership.

Even if it were attached to some appropriations bill or some other legislation that Republicans did not want to block, the criminal dumbfuck would veto it.

[AlCzervik]

4. i can't believe this is it, i really can't. I keep hoping they have something up their sleeves

something, anything.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. Deal with the reality of the situation.

I agree it is pretty awful. Lots of us here are as dismayed as you are. It is really that bad.

[jgraz]

5. No offense to you, but that is fucking stupid

The key lever the Dems had was the pursestrings and they just pissed that away. Nothing else they can do will have as much power.

(again, don't mean to attack you, but I'm freaking pissed off by this whole cluster fuck right now)

[AlCzervik]

7. no offense taken. Isn't there some other bill Bush wants that thy can attach

it to? I understand this is futile but it's helping me not totally lose it tonight. Tomorrow is another day of course.

[jgraz]

8. You may have to lose it -- this is a complete catastrophuck

As long as the Dems withheld funding, they had Chimpolini by the shorthairs. Eventually he'd have to either cave in to their demands or bring the troops home. They could have simply refused to hold a vote and the war would be over.

Now, instead of a blank check, they have actually managed to come up with something worse: a blank check that includes political cover for the rethugs. And it's cover that they get from the freaking Dem leadership every time Rahm Emanuel opens his warmongering pie-hole and says they're holding * accountable.

This is a total collapse. A sick betrayal of trust. Our only hope now is to get one of the houses to defeat it (not gonna happen), or to start working to oust the current Dem leadership.

Feingold for Majority Leader! Who's with me?