The new House Democratic proposal to end the war in Iraq offers major concessions to the President: there is no timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Instead, the proposal temporarily funds the war through July (though the money to fund the war through July is already in the pipeline). It no longer includes the funds for agricultural relief - those will be put into a separate bill. And the “troop readiness standards” proposed by Rep. John Murtha have been scrapped from the bill, as well.

The new plan? Attach the next two months of funding after to a vote by Congress on withdrawal. Bush must submit a report to Congress by July 13 on progress in Iraq, and after that, the House and Senate will vote on whether to continue funding the war, or to use the money to begin withdrawing our troops from Iraq.

Bush would veto this bill.

Why? Well, it should be clear by now. The President wants a blank check to conduct undending war in Iraq. And here’s what happens next:

The Pentagon announced yesterday that 35,000 soldiers in 10 Army combat brigades will begin deploying to Iraq in August as replacements, making it possible to sustain the increase of U.S. troops there until at least the end of this year.

U.S. commanders in Iraq are increasingly convinced that heightened troop levels, announced by President Bush in January, will need to last into the spring of 2008. The military has said it would assess in September how well its counterinsurgency strategy, intended to pacify Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, is working.

Remember when the surge was supposed to be temporary?  I hope no one actually bought that line. But, clearly, the Republicans have. They’re willing to give the administration until September to come up with a new lie and some reason why they should continue to ignore the will of the American people, who have demanded an end to this war.

I think it should be clear by now to anyone observing the fight in Congress to end this war that the Republican Party has no intention of leaving Iraq. Ever. 

Bush has increasingly operated like a spoiled child in this debate. He wants it his way, and no way else. But, fortunately, the President’s preferred option in this case - a blank check to conduct unending war in Iraq - is a non-starter with this Congress, as it should be, because it’s a non-starter with the majority of Americans.

3,381 Americans have died in Iraq. 3,240 since “Mission Accomplished.” 295 since the “Surge” began. 47 since we took down the flags two weeks ago. 30 in the month of May, alone, including one Nebraskan.

I don’t have any doubt which side of the debate Lee Terry, Jeff Fortenberry, and Adrian Smith will come down on, and it’s heartbreaking to realize that. These are matters of life and death. The administration has had enough time. It’s time to get out. It’s time for our troops to come home safely. This is the mandate we gave Congress in November. And they will continue to use that mandate until you listen.