In support of uncleanliness

I don't get the "the Republicans will own it" meme that's crept into the inside the beltway Democratic blather in the last few days. The theory goes as follows: Democrats pass bill funding war but with withdrawal strings (mandatory or otherwise) attached. Bush vetos it. Congress is unable to override veto. Democrats go back to drawing board and put forth a "clean" bill with no strings attached. Bush walks away with money to run his war."

Now, a lot of Dems are saying that's a great scenario because Bush and the Republicans will then "own" the war.

That's sure not the way I see it. It seems to me that, by funding it without strings, the Democrats will have bought into the war just as thoroughly as they did when they passed the AUMF.

Pat Buchanan is right on this one. If that's the way it unfolds, Bush is the big winner. He'll get his money, and he'll be able to say that Congress endorsed his policies. Any Democrat who votes for a "clean bill" will be laughed out of the room when they try to object to Bush's war come 2008. They voted to fund it.

The only way to win this one is to keep serving up "unclean" bills.