And if you mistakenly believed that Congressional Democrats were really going to put principle above politics. . . .

. . . even when it came to Iraq.

Conveniently, the $164 billion war funding bill will remove any immediate pressure on a newly elected President (say, a former junior Illinois Senator) to make immediate decisions about withdrawal, as it secures continued funding for the fighting well into next year.

But at least the very principled majority in the House of Representatives won some very important concessions (a large pork sandwich) in exchange for selling out pretty much everything they campaigned on in 2006:

Democrats opposed to the war, however, succeeded in using the Iraq funding bill as an engine to drive past White House resistance a sweeping revision to GI Bill college benefits and a 13-week extension of unemployment checks for those whose benefits have run out.

Anybody want to take bets on whether the presumptive Democratic nominee will make any public comment on this proud display of intestinal fortitude?

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