They're All Barely Functioning

That's the only conclusion left. The Democrats get their dander up over presidential usurpation of power then cave. Is this because they are impressive negotiators? Is it because they know that come September, as John Murtha proposes, the incapacitated President will be putty in their hands? Not based on the latest compromise of epic proportions.
This benchmark plan does nothing other than give an inept President the time he needs to put more lives at risk in a "war" void of sophisticated strategy driven only by a refusal to be wrong in the face of insurmountable evidence to that very fact.
Astute negotiation does not involve hardball followed by immediate forfeit. There are tough stages and steps between the two. The latter is a last resort scenario or else the former is merely pretense. And that's where we're left. Regrettably the Democrats have proven again that when cornered they sputter then collapse. The smirk on George Bush's face right now is evidence enough of who is the victor. He is sitting in the catbird seat feeling quite superior. And, rightly so. The Democrats who seemed to be taking him to task are, as we've so often seen before, giving him what he wants - in spades.
All this talk about how bad it looks if they don't support the troops reveals their true focus. What looks bad isn't the issue. What is bad is. These people are rich but they're ignorant. Most are political puppets of polls rather than guided by solid values. I'm sick of the lot of them. Most people I know could do better with their eyes closed. Who are these charlatans? Didn't they hear what the generals have been saying? Who is deaf now? September - give me a break!
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To End the Iraq War -- September Will Be Key

Today, I voted for both the $22 billion supplemental funding for domestic programs and the $98 billion supplemental funding for our troops in Iraq.
The Democrats in Congress have already sent a supplemental to the president that would have set benchmarks and timelines for the responsible redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq.
Instead of demonstrating to the American people and the Iraqi Government that our commitment is not open-ended, the president vetoed our bill and refuses to recognize that this war cannot be won militarily.
Some have suggested that since the president refuses to compromise, Democrats should refuse to send him anything. I disagree. There is a point when the money for our troops in Iraq will run out, and when it does, our men and women serving courageously in Iraq will be the ones who will suffer, not this president.
Patience has run out and I feel a change in direction happening within the chambers of Congress. While we don't have the votes right now to change the president's policy, I believe that come September we will have the votes from both Democrats and Republicans to change policy and direction. In September, General Petraeus will report back on the progress of the surge, and Congress will take up both the $460 billion base defense appropriations bill and the $141 billion Iraq supplemental. The surge is not producing the results that were promised. And, based on my discussions with Iraqi Government officials, I don't believe they have the motivation to bring about the political and economic benchmarks agreed to. This is why September will be key.
We have lost 418 of our fellow Americans since the president announced his surge, and come September, with your help, we can convince my colleagues from across the aisle that enough is enough. For almost two years, I have tried diligently to redeploy our forces from Iraq, and I will not stop now.

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