Democrats Cave on Timetable

The Democratic leadership in Congress is close to a deal with the White House to provide funding for the war without a timetable for withdrawal. The legislation will include benchmarks for U.S. aid, close to $8 billion in domestic spending and a minimum-wage increase, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated that she cannot bring herself to vote for a bill that doesn’t set a withdrawal date for U.S. troops.

AP via Yahoo!:

WASHINGTON - Flinching in the face of a veto threat, Democratic congressional leaders neared agreement with Bush administration Tuesday on legislation to pay for the Iraq war without a troop withdrawal timeline.

Several officials said the emerging $120 billion compromise would include as much as $8 billion for Democratic domestic priorities—originally resisted by the White House—such as disaster relief for Hurricane Katrina victims and farmers hurt by drought.

After a bruising veto struggle in which Bush vetoed one Democratic-drafted measure and threatened to reject another, congressional leaders in both political parties said they hoped the compromise would be cleared for
President Bush’s signature by Friday.

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