Where is Our Political Courage?

David Sirota has a great article at the Huffington Post regarding what is worse: being lied to or hearing the truth. I apologize for belaboring this point, but compromising on the war at this point is ludicrous. Sirota calls it the innocent bystander Fable. See below:

Now Democrats are beginning to again "compromise" on a bill to end this war. When war critics were told wait until September. Well, here it is September and what is happening. The spineless democrats make their play. An article at Politico says the democrats are beginning to compromise once again this is how they justify it: "The strategic shift is certain to anger some war critics, but it reflects the reality that Democrats lack the votes to force President Bush's hand. 'We are trying to manage expectations that we can't end the war today or next week or next month,' said one Democrat involved in the discussions. 'We have to make sure everyone understands that.'"

This is preposterous. Sirota says and I quote: "Anyone who has read the U.S. Constitution knows this is a fabrication. Congress has the power of the purse, meaning it has the ultimate veto over the war. Democrats control both chambers of Congress, meaning they have the ultimate veto over the war. If they chose not to schedule a vote to give Bush a blank check, the war would end." Democrats continue to claim they are powerless though they control an entire branch of government.

Democrats now have the audacity to intimate that Senator Salazar's non-binding bill a heroic bill to the end the war, though previously the majority of the democrats called the bill toothless. The Democrats lack the spine or political courage to do anything about this war. Where is Russ Feingold. I'll take him as a Presidential candidate.

Sirota, in his article then talks about the Republicans and their honesty: "Our strategy in Iraq, in the short term, causes a lot of pain, but in the long term, prevents a lot of problems for the party." What is worse knowing you can end the war by simply refusing to allow a vote in Congress or by claiming the Republican party is more important than American lives and of course Iraqi lives that are being lost by the boatload?