When Will Democrats Bring the Troop Funding Bill to the House Floor

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In an article titled "Liberal Democrats Revolt on Iraq Spending Bill," the Politico says House Democrats are in "full-blown revolt" over an emergency funding request for American troops engaged in combat against radical Islamic terrorists:

"Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is facing a full-blown revolt from liberal House Democrats over the $98 billion Iraq supplemental bill, according to Democratic insiders. Anywhere between 50 to 75 Democrats are now threatening to vote against the bill because it doesn't go far enough toward ending the war, including setting a date certain for withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq , said the sources. ...

"These Democrats also want to offer their own alternative proposal to cut off Iraq funding immediately as an amendment to the supplemental on the House floor, said Democratic leadership aides."

Democratic Leaders have also made promises to load-up the troop funding bill with pork projects and other extraneous funding, cynically tying troop funding to unrelated spending. Associated Press reported last week:

"While Democrats try to restrict how President Bush can spend the $100 billion he wants for Iraq , they also hope to load his measure up with $10 billion in add-ons...

"Now that Democrats are in charge, the party's leaders are eager to use the cost of the war as leverage to force Bush to accept spending ... that he has successfully killed in the past."

By delaying the vote on the troop funding bill and loading it up with unrelated pork and other spending, House Democrats are playing games with the additional resources our troops need to succeed in their mission. At the same time, Democratic Leaders still support a strategy by Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) to "slow-bleed" our troops by hamstringing our military commanders' ability to wage war effectively.

As Roll Call notes, House Republicans will fight against both the Democrats' "slow-bleed" strategy and any efforts to tie troop funding to political pork:

"'I think placing arbitrary or punitive political hurdles before the commander in chief in a time of war, especially under the guise of supporting our troops, is wrong and it is reckless,' [House Republican Leader] Boehner said late last week.

"Boehner said the GOP would adhere to two principles in the supplemental: to oppose any effort to 'put handcuffs' on Bush, or to add 'unnecessary' additional spending in the bill that does not pertain to the war effort."

Every day it becomes more evident that Democrats have failed to consider the consequences of failure in Iraq . Each of the strategies being contemplated by House Democrats would leave American troops in harm's way "exposed and unable to succeed." This is unacceptable.

When will Speaker Pelosi and other Democratic leaders finally disavow the Murtha slow-bleed strategy? And when will Democrats bring the troop funding bill to the House floor?