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Searching for common ground |
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By Lynn Sweet
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Posted: 05/02/07 07:18 PM [ET] |
Now that President Bush has vetoed the Iraq supplemental war-funding bill, Democratic congressional leaders go back to work to figure out the next step. They were to meet with Bush at the White House on Wednesday.
But even some insiders can’t predict what the endgame will be. The first round has played out — sending Bush a measure the Dems knew he would veto. Democratic House and Senate leaders will get roll calls on an override vote if they want. But they don’t have the votes to win, so the exercise would be symbolic and strategic — with an eye on 2008 congressional and White House contests.
“I’m confident that with goodwill on both sides, we can agree on a bill that gets our troops the money and flexibility they need as soon as possible,” Bush said.
“If the president thinks that what is happening on the ground in Iraq now is progress,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Tuesday, “then it’s clear to see why we have a disagreement on policy with him. … We look forward to working with the president to find common ground. But there is great distance between us right now.”
Common-ground rhetoric aside, it may well be weeks before another Iraq supplemental hits Bush’s desk. A real need for more money in the pipeline won’t come until June. Dems will have their own problems from the left if a compromise is heavy on troop funding and light on getting the soldiers home.
The Dems and their consultants are mulling a variety of legislative options. They are looking to craft a bill that will keep Bush on a “short leash,” even without actual timetables written into law.
DEM FRESHMEN
House Democratic leaders are running a special program to nurture their members of the class of 2006, especially the freshmen from competitive districts who made possible Democratic control of the House. They are, after all, the Majority Makers.
Pelosi is religious about meeting with the 42 freshmen each Wednesday morning in her office. The No. 2 Democrat, Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.), and House Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) also have a hand in the members-only session.
The chiefs of staff from districts deemed “marginal” meet every Monday around 10 a.m. in Emanuel’s offices. The outreach program offers a chance for the freshmen’s staff chiefs to discuss approaches to policy and the impact it will have on their constituencies.
There is a lot of comparing notes; going over “best strategies”; getting the upcoming floor schedule straight and generally reviewing issues.
This past Monday, for example, there was a discussion about when the House would be taking up immigration legislation — before August is the plan.
A “best practices” review of what new members did back in the district during the most recent April break looked at two freshman lawmakers, Reps. Joe Courtney (Conn.) and Joe Sestak (Pa.). Courtney was a featured panelist at a University of Connecticut economic summit.
Sweet is the Washington bureau chief for the Chicago Sun-Times. E-mail:
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