It was a bad bill anyway. Democratic leaders didn't include any requirement for a troop withdrawal timeline from Iraq in the recent appropriations "deal" they were negotiating.

Now, negotiations on the bill have collapsed as House Appropriations Committee chair, David Obey, (D-WI) accused Republicans of bargaining in bad faith.  What a surprise!

According to the Washington Post, "....Obey said he will push a huge spending bill that would hew to the president's spending limit by stripping it of all lawmakers' pet projects, as well as most of the Bush administration's top priorities. It would also contain no money for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Obey said, "Absent a Republican willingness to sit down and work out a reasonable compromise, I think we ought to end the game and go to the president's numbers," Obey said. "I was willing to listen to the argument that we ought to at least add more for Afghanistan, but when the White House refuses to compromise, when the White House continues to stick it in our eye, I say to hell with it."

This is exhibiting the determination aka spine regular Democrats outside the beltway expect of all Democratic leaders.  Unfortunately, they have been mostly disappointed and dismayed since January.

The report on Saturday said that the Democrats were again caving to Bush and including no US military Iraq withdrawal timeline.  Here's what I wrote on Saturday about the "deal" regarding this legislation.   "Feckless Democratic leaders in Congress like House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) have almost completed another appropriations bill "deal" for billions for the four year and counting Iraq occupation without any required troop withdrawal timeline.

"If passed, this will be the third time that spineless Democratic majority leaders and their followers have caved to King George's imperial executive money demands for Iraq without attaching any requirements that the US end its occupation of Iraq with firm, expedient troop departure."

(Scroll down to read more about "Steny Hoyer and Dem Congressional Leaders Want More Blood On Their Hands.")

Today's article only states that this still leaves the war funding unresolved. What were the details of a "reasonable compromise" mentioned by David Obey that collapsed? If the Republicans refused to have a troop withdrawal timeline included in the appropriations bill, then pulling it was a wise move on Obey's part.  But, if that was not the reason or part of the reason, definitely no kudos.

Hasn't the Democratic leadership learned anything about their Bushite rubber stamp Republica colleagues during Georgie's imperial seven year reign?

How many more times do clueless Democratic leaders plan to play Charlie Brown to Lucy pulling the football out from under them?  How many times do they have to be hit in the head?  Chimps are smarter that that.

For these Democratic Congressional leaders, more than a decade as a minority in a Repuglica controlled Congress seems to have addled their brains and removed their spines. The Repugs, now the minority, are apparently still calling the shots, and the Dem leaders keep begging "pretty please" while they enable Bush and his Republica Capitol Hill lackeys to continue damaging this country and pissing on the Constitution.