Fearing a Memorial Day deadline (and thereby a "message" to veterans that "Democrats don't support the troops") by the White House and a new tactic by the Republican party to frame a benchmarks/timeline requirement as part of the appropriationas a "surrender date", Democratic leaders are likely backing off the requirement to fund the supplemental defense bill. They understand that they do not have enough votes to sustain a veto override and, therefore, don't think it is worthwhile to continue to fight.
This would be "mission accomplished" for the White House, but a devastating defeat for the taxpayers who are watching their wallets and families of soldiers who see the casualities mounting and Iraq slipping deeper into chaos.
Those members of the Out of Iraq caucus are likely to hold their position. Perhaps what is needed is for members of Congress to use their moral courage to defy the leadership and chart a new course.
The members of the Out of Iraq Caucus are:
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Chair, Co-Founder
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), Co-Founder
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Co-Founder
Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), Co-Founder
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Co-Founder
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Co-Founder
Rep. William Delahunt (D-Mass.), Co-Founder
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Co-Founder
The rest of the caucus is:
Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii)
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.)
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.)
Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.)
Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.)
Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.)
Rep. Julia Carson (D-Ind.)
Rep. Donna Christensen (D-V.I.)
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.)
Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.)
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)
Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.)
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.)
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.)
Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.)
Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.)
Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.)
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.)
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)
Rep. Phil Hare (D-Ill.)
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.)
Rep. Michael Honda (D-Calif.)
Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas)
Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.)
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas)
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio)
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio)
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.)
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio)
Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.)
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.)
Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.)
Rep. Michael McNulty (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.)
Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.)
Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.)
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.)
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.)
Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.)
Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-D.C.)
Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.)
Rep. John Olver (D-Mass.)
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.)
Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.)
Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.)
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.)
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.)
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.)
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.)
Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.)
Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.)
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)
Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.)
Rep. Ed Towns (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.)
Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Md.)
Notably missing from the caucus is our own Dave Loebsack, Bruce Braley, and Leonard Boswell
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