Senate Dems reluctant to try to revoke Iraq war authority

From the Hill courtesy of AlterNet:

Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said the main reason why the de-authorization plan is not a component of the Democratic leadership’s Iraq floor strategy is because it is not “easily understood.” By contrast, he said, other plans have broad support within the caucus, such as timetables to withdraw troops and measures to extend leave between deployments.

Durbin said even if lawmakers withdrew the authority, “would the president continue the war and ignore the Congress? We’re not sure that [the Byrd-Clinton plan] would have the intended result.”

Even the anti-war left has been privately skeptical of that plan. In a strategy meeting last Friday of major anti-war activist groups, there was “no enthusiasm” for the legislation to de-authorize the war, according to one person who attended the meeting.

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What the fuck?!?

The authorization for the invasion was essentially the 21st century version of a Congressional declaration of war. That is, despite Vice President Cheney's assertions of "the unitary executive," Congress does indeed play a major role in US war policy making, and granting the authority to wage war is an explicitly named Congressional power in the Constitution. De-authorizing the war is the trump card. Forget all this business about de-funding the war. If Congress says the war is over, it's over.

Obviously, Congressional Democrats aren't serious about ending the war. It's also obvious that they're afraid of forcing a Constitutional showdown, but that's no excuse. They have the power, and any showdown would actually be forced by Bush when he refuses to abide by such an edict.

I'm sick of this shit. The Democrats aren't our saviors. I'm not really sure what they are.

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