President Bush may have won this most recent battle for Iraq war funding, but it’s clear that widespread opposition to the war both in Congress and among citizens is deepening.
The nearly $100 billion measure approved by Congress Thursday and signed by the president did not set a withdrawal timetable as originally sought by Democrats.
Democratic congressional leaders vowed that they’ll renew the debate this fall and will move to overturn the original authority for the war and set a date for troop withdrawal.
It seems they’d be on firm footing with the American public. A New York Times/CBS News poll found public support for the war has seriously eroded during the last four years. Only 35 percent of those polled believe the United States did the right thing in invading the country, down from 64 percent in 2003.
With the action this week by Congress, the president has the war money he sought without the timetable he so vigorously opposed. He has the tools he says he needs to bring stability to a country thrown into chaos. Americans will be watching closely to see if he’s up to the job.
