Where do we go from here?

Unsurprisingly, Congress failed to overturn the president's anti-troop veto but the numbers on the vote are somewhat deceiving. There are certainly wavering Republicans in the wings.

"Obviously the president would prefer a straight funding bill, no benchmarks, no conditions, no reports. Many of us on both sides of the aisle don't agree with that," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. She expressed interest in a proposal to cut reconstruction aid to Iraq if the Baghdad government does not live up to its promises.

Collins' sentiment was echoed by several House Republicans, who said that while they had cast their votes to sustain the veto, they wanted to signal impatience with a war that is unpopular with the public, and also with the administration's policy. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not yet ready to differ publicly with the White House.

Not yet, but they will be someday and probably soon. September seems to be the unofficial timetable on rank and file GOP patience. So what to do now? Maha Barb articulates my current leanings. We have a president run amok who is so stubborn he will never back down, no matter what the cost. It's time to reframe the battle from Democrats vs. Republicans to Congress vs. the White House.

Stone Soup Kathy spoke to that as well in comments to another post. It's time to hold the Republicans accountable for their man. They put him into office. They gave him carte blanche and now it's not only costing the party, it's endangering the country. It's time for Republicans who still believe in the rule of law to take control from the extremists who would create a monarchy and destroy their party in the process.

[thanks to Michael van der Galien for the link]