House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, talking on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the House vote to authorize the Iraq war, acknowledged Tuesday that the failure to end the war is hurting Democrats in Congress and lawmakers will have to take bolder action reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
The San Francisco Democrat, in a wide-ranging lunch discussion with reporters, said her party’s successes in passing domestic legislation - such as raising the minimum wage and helping make college more affordable - are being overshadowed.
“It is in fact true, though, that the war has eclipsed everything,” she said. “While I’m very proud of the ratings that Democrats have on every issue we can name, I don’t disagree with the public evaluation that we have not done well in ending this war.”
The comments echoed some of the criticisms made by anti-war activists and some lawmakers, who have urged House Democratic leaders to take a more confrontational approach with the White House by cutting off money for the war.
Pelosi did not signal that Democrats are ready to stop funding the war. But one of her allies, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., said last week that he won’t work on President Bush’s $190 billion war spending bill unless Bush agrees to withdraw all combat troops by January 2009.
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