Democrats Won't Budge On War Funding Despite Bush Plea

Moments after President Bush gave a live Pentagon briefing calling on Congress to send him another war funding bill, Democrats rejected the request, saying they'll only give him the war money if he agrees to troop withdrawal goals.

While the Bush administration has warned that the military will have to cut thousands of civilian Pentagon jobs if Congress doesn't provide a least some of the $196 billion in war funding, Democrats have turned the tables on the debate.

"We have provided every penny that is currently necessary to fund Defense Department operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a statement just released. "It is President Bush and his Republican allies in the Senate who are preventing extra funds from reaching our troops."

Indeed, the House passed a $50 billion Iraq bill that had a soft "goal" of completing troop withdrawal by the end of next year, but the Senate fell short of a filibuster-proof majority on that measure before the Thanksgiving break. And Bush would have vetoed that bill anyway.

"The American people expect us to work together to support our troops. That's what they want," the president said at the Pentagon. "They do not want the government to create needless uncertainty for those defending our country, and uncertainty for their families. They do not want disputes in Washington to undermine our troops in Iraq just as they're seeing clear signs of success."

"I ask Congress to provide this essential funding to our troops before the members leave on their Christmas vacation," he added. 

While the GOP has been celebrating improved security in Iraq, the dynamics of the war debate in Washington seem unchanged, leaving the funding legislation in limbo.

In recent weeks Republicans have increased pressure on Democrats to provide the war money with no strings attached, pointing to various signs that the military surge has been successful at reducing violence in Iraq. Congressional Republicans believe Democrats are in denial about military progress in Iraq and are too focused on mandatory troop withdrawal.