I almost feel redundant writing about this, so I won’t really. I’ll let the article speak for itself. In the face of an inevitable veto, the Senate backed the Iraq timetable, with a deadline of September of 2008 for all troops to be out. Yes, it’s going to be vetoed, but I’m glad that the message will be sent.

The vote marked the Senate’s most forceful challenge to date of the administration’s handling of a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,200 U.S. troops. It came days after the House approved a binding withdrawal deadline of Sept. 1, 2008, and increased the likelihood of a veto confrontation this spring.

…

Additionally, GOP Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Gordon Smith of Oregon sided with the Democrats, assuring them of the majority they needed to turn back a challenge led by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. “The president’s strategy is taking America deeper and deeper into this quagmire with no exit strategy,” said Hagel, the most vocal Republican critic of the war in Congress.

I would hope that between March of 2003 and September of 2008 it would be possible to set up the Iraq military, particularly considering we toppled Saddam in roughly April of 2003. And if not, that’s a sign that we’re not going to set them up any time soon.

I wonder how long the war supporters would let this go on before they too demand we pull out. Another five years? Ten? If we’re still in Iraq in 2037 would they finally admit that it’s a failed project?