Kevin Drum not batting well on Iraq this week

After yesterday telling "second tier" Democratic presidential candidates to withdraw, Drum now says that without a cloture-proof 60, let alone a veto-proof 67 in the Senate, Democrats are hamstrung on Iraq action.

Once again, like, you're wrong, wrong, wrong on Iraq, Kevin.

The magic number in the Senate is 41; that prevents cloture and blocks any funding bill that doesn't defund Iraq.

You’re wrong, Kevin, and Harry Reid is wrong when he says the same thing. I believe more and more that Ted Rall is right about Congressional Democrats on Iraq.

If it takes government gridlock or a funding meltdown by invoking cloture against ANY budget bill that continues to fund Iraq, that’s what it takes.

Do it, dammit.

I read Kevin’s post right after hearing Reid make the same claim on All Things Considered, followed by Mitch (I’m the lying senator McConnell, not the lying intelligence director McConnell) McConnell.

And I was steamed.

Update: Yes, and I remembered that budget bills are approved through a cloture-free reconciliation process after I originally posted this post.

BUT, you can still run cloture on any other bill that even smacks of getting close to Iraq; or even of bills that have ZERO connection to Iraq. There are end run ways of still making 41 the magic number, and I don't care if it causes a Congressional clusterfuck or not.

Remember, Reid himself used "reverse cloture" for the overnight speak-a-thon on Iraq earlier this year.

So, even though Kevin's procedurally right, it's only in the narrowest of senses.

Don't let Reid say otherwise.

I read Kevin’s post right after hearing Reid make the same claim on All Things Considered, followed by Mitch (I’m the lying senator McConnell, not the lying intelligence director McConnell) McConnell.