Iraq funding bill, plan B
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Iraq funding bill, plan B
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MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: Democratic leaders went to the White House yesterday to meet with President Bush about the future funding of the Iraq war. Marketplace’s Steve Henn says now that a time-line for a troop withdrawal is off the table both sides are searching for plan B.
STEVE HENN: Just minutes after the House of Representatives failed to override the President’s veto, Speaker Pelosi drove to the White House to meet with President Bush.
After a short, visibly-tense meeting, Pelosi emerged to say that while compromise was possible, her goals hadn’t changed.
NANCY PELOSI: The goal is obviously to hold Iraqis accountable so we can end this war.
Democrats are working to line up Republican support for benchmarks that would measure the progress — or lack of it — in Iraq.
House Minority Leader John Boehner has signaled he might be open to the idea.
JOHN BOEHNER: I think it’s time for us to work across the isle to produce a clean bill that the president can sign into law.
What any benchmarks would be, and whether or not they’d come with consequences, still needs to be worked out. Nonetheless, Democratic congressional leaders say they hope to deliver a new bill to the White House before Memorial Day.
In Washington, I’m Steve Henn for Marketplace.
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