Facing mounting pressure to produce results on the Iraq, Democratic leaders are considering a variety of amendments and political tactics that will satisfy both war critics and moderate Republicans. The task is proving exceedingly difficult.
Sources have told the Huffington Post that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, and others are considering an amendment setting a firm April 2008 deadline for withdrawing all troops from Iraq. Such a measure would likely die in the Senate - it fell seven votes short of the filibuster-proof 60-vote minimum last summer - but is designed to satisfy anti-war factions. Democratic leadership would then pursue compromise legislation calling for an immediate drawdown of U.S. troops with "goals" for future withdrawals.
"The feeling I get is that [Senator] Reid doesn't really know what to do," said one senior Senate aide. "They have to put the strong deadline just to appease the base. But the real hope is to try to get Sens. [Susan] Collins, R-MN, and [John] Warner, R-VA, and all the different factions together to get the 60 votes."
In a similar vein, the Huffington Post has learned that Senate Democrats are considering a bill that would appropriate funds solely for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The provision, introduced previously in the House by Rep. Jim McGovern, D-MA, is meant to sidestep criticism that undermined earlier bills restricting war funds.
"A lot of members won't vote for amendments that appear to cut funding for troops for the field," said John Isaacs, Executive Director of the non-profit, Council for a Livable World. "The theory is... if you turn it around and offer money for a withdrawal it might not give off the appearance that it's somehow undermining the troops."
Complicating these proposals, however, is a fear among some Democrats that General Petraeus, in his testimony on Capitol Hill, won President Bush the political capital he needed to hold force levels in Iraq steady until they are naturally drawn down next summer.
"The President and the White House bought themselves some time," said Eric Pierce, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security. "Petraeus did a good job this week and made his case for why they need more time."
Following Petraeus's performance, leading foreign policy Democratic senators met on Wednesday to plot out strategy on how to push forward Iraq war legislation. One tactic being considered is to first introduce an amendment by Sen. Jim Webb, D-VA, that would require active troops to be given equal time at home as they spend in their previous tour of duty. The dwell time amendment won the support of 56 senators when it was considered this past summer. With Sen. Tim Johnson, D-ND, recovered from his brain hemorrhage, some on the Hill expressed cautious optimism that it would overcome a filibuster and set the tone for future legislative success.
"Tactically," a senior Democratic aide told the Huffington Post, "it makes the most sense to introduce the Webb amendment first."
Also discussed during the meeting was the idea of reintroducing a plan by Sen. Joe Biden, D-DL, to support the partitioning of Iraq into a federalist system. Such a measure has gained popularity as concerns over sectarian violence and the gridlocked central government have grown.
"Whether you like it or not its happening. The real question is whether we can still do something to shape it before the country gets torn apart," one insider told the Huffington Post.
The wildcard over the next few weeks continues to be the Senate Republicans. President Bush is set to proclaim Thursday night that he wants troops in Iraq to remain at their current levels until next summer. Whether moderates in his own party will support him remains unclear.
As is his custom, Sen. Warner is likely to wait until all other options are on the table before plotting his course of action. Insiders predict that he and Senator Chuck Hagel, R-NE, -- both of whom have announced their retirements from the Senate - could very well determine what type of Iraq legislation makes its way through Congress.
"I think people like Sens. Hagel and Warner understand that this is the last shot," a high-ranking staffer told the Huffington Post. "I think [Democrats] are going to try to get Hagel and Warner to lead that charge on the Republican side... It could be pretty historic. What would the White House do if you have Warner and Hagel rallying this thing?"