MoveOn supports our troops, they just want to make sure they don't get any funding:
"Americans elected a Democratic Congress in 2006 to end the war in Iraq. A blank check for billions in war funding moves us in the wrong direction," said Nita Chaudhary, Campaign Director on Iraq for MoveOn. "Majority Leader Reid and the Democratic leadership should hold the line they've drawn: no war funding without a timeline to end the war..."
MoveOn.org will deliver petitions Monday asking the Democratic senators running for president to filibuster the bill if it does not include a timetable for withdrawal. The petitions were signed by 15,000 veterans and military families and will be sent to the offices of Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware, Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Barack Obama of Illinois.
Thanks to the infinite wisdom of Democratic leaders in Congress, this funding fight comes at the ideal time for MoveOn. The primaries will begin in days and the Democratic presidential nomination now seems completely up in the air. They couldn't have scripted a better scenario for pressuring Senators Clinton and Obama, as well as the others seeking the presidency.
It would not be at all surprising if some Democratic Senators choose to filibuster the bill. Someone like Russ Feingold--a longtime and firm opponent of the war--may well choose to do so, particularly since it's clear that no one will allow a funding fight to lead to a government shutdown.
And what does Chris Dodd, for example, have to lose from a filibuster? With virtually no chance of winning the nomination, a demonstrated willingness to pander to the netroots, and having already called for Congress to stop funding the war, it is the logical position for him to take.
It will be interesting to see how Senator Clinton handles this. With her campaign clearly hitting a rough spot, will she consider pushing the panic button, and joining whoever else may choose to filibuster? Or will she continue to position herself for the general election?
It's not outside the realm of possibility that one or more Republicans joins a filibuster. If nothing else, some fiscal conservatives will be quietly rooting for it to succeed. That's because the omnibus bill favored by the Democratic leadership will include significant increases in domestic discretionary spending, as well as new emergency spending which doesn't count against the budget caps. If this omnibus bill is blocked, it will likely force Congress to adopt another continuing resolution--with significantly lower overall spending. It will also put the pressure on Senator Reid to work with Republicans on a measure to fund the troops.
A filibuster might lead to both a political victory and a policy victory for conservatives.
