Reid: Dems raised the bar too high on war

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 | 7:25 a.m.

WASHINGTON - With Americans growing more frustrated that Congress cannot change course in Iraq, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised Tuesday to renew the war debate this month and reminded critics that Democrats alone do not have enough votes to end the war.

Reid said he understood Americans' disappointment that Democrats have been unable to stop the war since taking control of Congress in January. That failure is one reason public approval of Congress has fallen in recent months.

Fresh from a conference call with some of the nation's leading progressive bloggers, Reid said, "I certainly understand how they feel."

But he pointed out that Democrats have just 50 votes, and the total slips to 49 on Iraq issues.

In the Senate 60 votes are required to act on contentious issues - and 67 votes are needed to overturn a veto, including President Bush's veto in May of the Iraq spending bill that contained timelines for troop withdrawals.

Reid conceded that Democrats had raised expectations among anti-war activists, and he attempted to lower them in advance of the renewed debate.

"We've raised the bar too high," Reid said. "Remember, we started this Iraq debate with 49 senators. It's real hard when we have 49 to get to 60."

But Reid declared that Democrats have no intention of backing away and would continue with "added vigor" to try to cut off funding for the war. "On Iraq, we're going to hold the president's feet to the fire."

Democrats are in a difficult position. Much as Americans don't want to be in the war, polls show a majority does not favor a sudden withdrawal of troops or a cut in funding.

Anti-war groups, however, demand immediate action.

Brad Woodhouse, president of Americans for Change, an anti-war group that is part of a coalition pressuring Democrats to end the war, said, "every day this war goes on without end is disappointing."

But Woodhouse said he believes "Sen. Reid will find support in his efforts to continue confronting the president We ' re only going to get a change in power under this president if we continue to confront him and force Republicans to vote, and Sen. Reid is committed to doing that."

After last month's vote, Reid began to make the case that emerged Tuesday - that his options are limited until more Republicans join with Democrats. As Democratic leaders roll out more votes on Iraq, Republicans will have to choose whether to stand by an unpopular president and a war most Americans no longer support.

Reid said Tuesday that the Senate would return to the Iraq debate two weeks from today, after completing work on energy and possibly immigration packages now under way.

The Senate would take up four measures concerning the war, probably as amendments to the 2008 defense authorization bill: cutting off war funds, as had been proposed by Reid and Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin; setting a timeline for troop withdrawal; revisiting Bush's 2002 authority from Congress to wage the war; and limiting how long troops can be in the field without resting.

Many Republicans, including Nevada Reps. Jon Porter and Dean Heller, have said they will reassess their support of the war in September, when Gen. David Petraeus is scheduled to give Congress an assessment of Bush's troop surge.

They have said they want to give the surge plan a chance to work.

"As every day goes on there's more and more pressure on Republicans," Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., said.

But Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said why wait?

"We've got guys out there dying," he said. "Why wait for a report in September?"