The Note: Funding the War

Republicans hand Democrats leverage

May 8, 2007— -- If Democratic leaders in Congress play it right (no sure bet), they'll provide money to the troops without splitting their caucus by the end of the month. That didn't seem possible just a few days ago: Liberals don't want to spend another dime on the war - and have told House Democratic leaders as much, robbing leadership of crucial votes in a closely divided Congress.

But nothing unifies a party quite like cracks on the other side of the aisle, and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) got plenty of company yesterday among Republicans warning that their patience is limited. This is the sound of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) smelling blood: "George W. Bush is hellbent on January 20, 2009, when he walks out of the door, leaving a box stamped 'Iraq' for the next president. The Republicans [in Congress] are hellbent on not going through the next election with Iraq tied to their ankles." LINK

Republicans of late loved to say they hated timetables, and now they're showing why. By offering one of their own – the date by which they expect progress in Iraq - they've given Democrats political leverage. ABC's Jake Tapper reports that Republican leaders being influenced by a "patience" timetable, "marking when GOP support for the president's unpopular war could begin to seriously erode." LINK

The Washington Post identifies a deadline of September – the month by which "political pressures in Washington will dovetail with the military timeline."

Getting the funding bill from here to there will require some legislative gymnastics, but a House vote setting the process in motion could come by the end of this week. Among the Democrats, the 2008 crew has quieted its jostling over the Iraq funding bill – maybe for long enough for Congress to hammer out a compromise that can pass White House muster. But who will be the first top-tier GOP presidential candidate to call for US troops to start coming home?

Also in the news:

Horse race update: A new USA Today/Gallup Poll shows the New Yorkers - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) and former mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) - solidifying their leads. Clinton's up 15 points over Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and Giuliani leads Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) by 14, with Clinton "the only contender in either party to show movement outside the poll's margin of error." (The new CNN poll shows a similar boost for Clinton, but a much tigher Republican race.) LINK

Republican oppo-research teams land a few good hits today. David Brody of the the Christian Broadcasting Network rehashes a Boston Globe story from 18 months ago, where then-governor Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) said he opposed teaching intelligent design in public schools. "Mitt Romney needs to get out of the first rounds of the playoffs before he competes in the Super Bowl," Brody writes. LINK

And just as Giuliani prepared to take the stage at the conservative Heritage Foundation last night – a speech he needed badly after his liberal-sounding performance at last week's debate – the Politico's Jonathan Martin dropped a piece tallying at least six Giuliani donations to Planned Parenthood in the 1990s. The Giuliani camp responded with an apparent dig at Romney. "From the start, Mayor Giuliani has been straight with the American people about where he stands on the issues and saying exactly what he thinks," spokeswoman Maria Comella said. LINK

The Nation's Ari Berman is the latest to profile Clinton strategist Mark Penn. He finds him to be "no ordinary pollster," and also identifies "a dilemma for Hillary" in his continued representation of corporate clients. Don't miss this delicious window into the operations of the Clinton camp: "([Howard] Wolfson told me to talk to Penn for additional information, but when I contacted Penn he referred all questions to Wolfson.)" LINK

With Clinton on Obama's home turf yesterday, she appeared with a group of African-American ministers to make clear she isn't giving up on the black vote. "I am not ceding any voter, anywhere, to anyone," she said, according to the Chicago Tribune, adding that she doesn't consider Illinois "off-limits" and coming oh-so-close to a direct swipe at Obama. LINK

The Hartford Courant's David Lightman looks at the battle for black voters in South Carolina and beyond, and sees Obama breaking the mold of previous black candidates for president. "Obama, himself, seems to understand that a Jackson-style, black-pride campaign is an anachronism," Lightman writes. LINK

Obama's speech to automakers in Detroit yesterday – where he brought out both carrots and sticks to prod car manufacturers to boost fuel efficiency – raised eyebrows in the Motor City. "It takes chutzpah to come here and criticize the main business of Motown - the auto industry - especially if you're a presidential candidate who may want the support of organized labor," writes the Chicago Sun-Times' Jennifer Hunter. LINK

This weekend, Obama will be George Stephanopoulos' guest on "This Week," in his first Sunday morning interview since formally declaring his presidential candidacy. Stephanopoulos is taking viewer-submitted questions: LINK

And it wouldn't be a day in the life of this hyper-charged campaign without news from a shadow candidate. The Washington Times' Christina Bellantoni finds at least 12 of Al Gore's 25 biggest financial backers in 2000 have yet to sign on with a 2008 candidate. You don't think they're waiting for someone to make up his mind, do you? LINK

Resignation watch:

One of Paul Wolfowitz's top aides at the World Bank, Kevin Kellems, resigned yesterday, and the bank's board is moving toward a public rebuke of Wolfowitz. The Europeans are offering the US a deal: push out Wolfowitz, and you can choose his successor, Steven R. Weisman reports in The New York Times. LINK

An immunity deal for former top Justice official Monica Goodling is moving along, as Congress keeps up the pressure on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. LINK

The kicker:

"She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child," President Bush, referring to Queen Elizabeth II, after he mistakenly suggested that the queen is 300 years old. LINK

Another day of royal events is on tap for today.

Today's Must-Reads: LINK

The Sneak Peek: LINK