It’s the president’s job to make the best decisions he can and keep the country governable at the same time. When it comes to highly divisive issues like the war, he’s got to consider many factors — including the pressures that the military and the CIA bring to bear on the situation. It’s the public’s job to create the political space for him to move in. For those who supported his candidacy because we wanted to bring an end to the war, it means we have to answer his call to go out and “make him do it.”

Note:  I’ll be on ABC’s Topline with Rick Klein and David Chalian today at noon ET, which broadcasts live here — jh Ten-dimensional chess is largely a spectator sport, but the battle over the supplemental makes some of the mechanics of Obama’s game a bit less open to speculation from hereon in. Obama whipped the [...]

Update 6:22 pm — 15 min. vote being held open FUH EVAH… Jerry Lewis — returning to regular order on appropriations bill.  Disappointed in where the bill is — "high dollar level in every account except for troop funding."  That’s going to be their defense — "cuts troop funding."  Didn’t the House add $9 billion [...]

Rep. Ruben Hinojosa According to CQ: Texas Delegation Threatens War-Bill Revolt Over Stimulus Funds Texas Democrats threatened to withhold their votes for a $105.9 billion war-funding measure Tuesday, as the legislation sped toward consideration on the House floor and party leaders worked to quash the insurrection. “The great majority of the Texas delegation are against [...]

A few progressive members not showing up to vote "no" could help Rahm’s whip count, so it’s possible they could delay and Leadership will bring it up when there are more absences. Keep calling…tell members of Congress that you need them to show up and vote their conscience, the war is not something you take [...]

Jon Henke at The Next Right: Sources tell me Republicans will make this vote a campaign issue for Democrats in 2010 (details below). This puts some of the Democrats in a very difficult position (See Red State for more on that), and some of them are gradually deciding to vote no on the legislation. There [...]

Mike Arcuri (D-NY) says this will be the last supplemental.  Maybe this time it will be true. Swine flu they were going to give up anyway. "Not perfect" — yes, Maxine Waters did make that point. David Dreier — the IMF should be debated, not done through emergency funding — regular appropriations process.  Against it [...]

Well Eric Cantor, looks like you can believe what you read on liberal blogs.  Because it appears that it’s Republicans that are being whipped, if a document prepared by Hoyer’s office today (6/16/2009) is any indication (PDF).  And the rumor is that 50 GOP congressmen will vote "yes" : IMF FUNDING IS CRITICAL TO OUR [...]

The White House CAP tells us why the IMF money should be approved. Surprise! Yglesias: Nina Hachigian did a brief piece for CAP about this but suffice it to say that the world economy continues to be in a very perilous situation. It now looks like things might start getting better. But it’s possible that [...]

“Cantor cited liberal blogs reporting that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had approached some Republican lawmakers about the bill. Cantor urged the White House to stop what he called the illegal politicization of the bill.”