If they won't do the people's bidding, the people need to vote them out

We already know who the Republicans in Congress represent, and it isn't the majority of the American people. But whom do the Democrats represent? Methinks it's not the American people either.

In the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll, Captain Codpiece is sitting with a 33% approval rating and only 27% of Americans (presumably the hardest-core kool-aid drinkers who wouldn't let go of the George Bush is Jesus notion even if he were caught sodomizing and exterminating small children and enjoying them with fava beans and a nice chianti) favor full funding of the Iraq occupation. 55% of Americans want Congressional Democrats to more forcefully challenge Bush's Iraq policies. Only about a quarter want Congress to fully fund Bush's latest request for an additional $190 billion for the war.

So what do the Democrats do? Authorize another $150 billion in funding. The vote: 92-3.

The three who voted against the funding? Robert Byrd (D-VA), Tom Coburn, of all people (R-OK), and the always reliable Russ Feingold (D-WI)

Weaseling out of the vote entirely, and therefore unworthy of being taken seriously the next time they get up on a podium and talk about ending the war:

Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
Chris Dodd
Joe Biden
John McCain

Last Friday night on Real Time with Bill Maher, Rahm Emmanuel all but said that if the war isn't funded, George W. Bush will leave the troops in Iraq without it (about six minutes into this video segment:

Maher: So why don't you just not bring up a finding bill? You're the only ones who can bring up the bill. Why don't you just do that?

Emmanuel: Well, if the question is why don't we just not bring up the funding, first of all, that's not the way to get the kids out of there. Bill, that might sound good and be a good sound bite, but the fact is...I have constituents there. Let me tell you what's part of this. OK? And this is a very tough call for a lot of members of Congress; at least the number of us who oppose this war. $48 billion of the recent request is for the best humvee now to protect kids. We made .. a real argument when this war started that we had kids go over there with no kevlar vests; parents were buying their own kevlar vests for the United States Army. Humvees that were not protected. These are the best humvees. You have constituents over there, their kids are over there, they're serving....

Maher: [starts to interrupt]

Emmanuel: No, wait a second. Do you not get that humvee there that can save a life?

[Audience member shouts out; pandemonium]

Emmanuel: No, wait a second. I'm all for bringing 'em home. You know how you bring 'em home? We need a new president because this president will not [unintelligible].

So what Emmanuel is saying is that the funding is to provide better protection for the troops because if we don't, their commander-in-chief will leave them there indefinitely without it. When he says that what we need is a new president, he all but seals the deal.

So if in fact the truth is that House and Senate Democrats know, or even fear, that this sociopath of a president is so tied to his Iraq policy that he will allow 130,000 Americans to be sitting ducks without food, clothing, or armor, unless his war is funded, then let them come out and say so. If this president has essentially kidnapped his own military and is holding them hostage to his narcissism -- funding or no funding, then Democrats in Congress have an OBLIGATION to let the American people know that this is what the President of the United States is doing.