Don't go to the floor if you don't have the votes.

When I was a college student slogging my way through the classes needed for a Political Science degree, I seem to remember that one of the principles of the great legislative masters in the American Congress was that they rarely went to war for a bill if they didn't have the votes to carry it on the floor. The Lyndon Johnsons and Everett Dirksens matched their counterparts on the House side in not creating the perception of wasted time and effort but of effectiveness. Maybe my memory has been muddled over time, but I found myself recalling the concept this past week as the Democratic leaders in the Senate announced they would hold an all night debate on the Iraq War despite the fact that the votes weren't there to pass any legislation. Somehow I suspect the average American reads this headline with the same frustration I do. What the heck are they doing? This same week I heard for the first time that experts in our government all agree that we have a structural as opposed to a political deadline some fifteen months from now in Iraq. The length of the tours of duty for troops in our current troop buildup limit how long those troops can be in the Iraqi theater, and simultaneously there are not other troops available to rotate in to fill their slots. I fault the Democrats for not giving more attention, since they don't have the votes to achieve withdrawal, to passing legislation or otherwise acting to protect the troops while they're in theater (ie with more bombproof vehicles) and better resources to support the returning troops, the wounded, and their families. I also fault the Administration and Republicans for acting as if a withdrawal timetable will give a message to the enemy that they can wait us out. If the structural limit of "the surge" is fifrteen months away, our enemies already have a target date to hunker down and wait for. I am angry that we continue to have public discussions between the political parties about things that aren't the real issues. By contrast, I have been impressed by the matter of fact and restrained statements of military leaders, even though they don't always completely agree. At least they seem to be talking about the same reality. Somewhere down the road we need to take a look at what the US real military capability is, factoring in the constraints that American public attitudes create. What has happened in Iraq is unlikely to be the greatest challenge we face in the coming decades.