Harkin Explains Why He Caved on the Iraq Funding Bill

Last week, I wrote about Tom Harkin being in support of keeping our troops in Iraq by voting for the Iraq Supplemental Funding Bill.

Here is a press release from Harkin's office about why he voted the way he did.

“Iowans know where I stand on the war in Iraq, so they know I have serious reservations about the bill’s lack of a redeployment timetable. I have fought hard for a timetable to extricate our troops from the civil war in Iraq. And I am an original cosponsor of the Feingold-Reid bill, which would complete the redeployment by March 31, 2008. But because of Republican obstructionism, the practical realities are that we need 60 votes in the Senate to pass any Iraq-withdrawal measure, and 67 votes to overcome a presidential veto. We are not there, yet. But we will be back. When we consider the FY 2008 defense authorization and defense appropriations bills this summer, we will have fresh opportunities to set a timetable. As it becomes clearer with each passing day that the President’s surge – his insistence on a military solution – is the wrong way to go, I hope that we will pick up the votes we need on the other side of the aisle to prevail.”

So it seems Harkin decided to vote for the bill because the Republicans took a stand. When will the Democrats decide it is time to take a stand?