Excuse me? The Democratic house needs to pass bills funding whatever their domestic priorities are, and other bills tying Iraq funding to whatever they damn well please. That's the point of having a majority. If the Republicans choose to filibuster, or Bush choses to veto, so be it.
My children's school used to have a "conflict resolution" process whereby if somebody kept grabbing your jump rope or whatever on the playground, you and the offender would meet with school authorities and "negotiate" times and ways when the grabber could use your toy. "I don't want her touching it because I don't like her" was not considered an acceptable position. The bottom line, therefore, was that anybody who took your stuff ended up with the blessing of teachers to use it.
While sharing is good and all that, I think the house Democratic leaders must have been indoctrinated with this same nonsense. Going along to get along is fine as a general rule, but there are times honor, not to mention morality, require a fight to the death, and this is one of them, specifically because the ONLY reason our brave servicepeople are still in Iraq is so Bush can claim his successor was actually the one who "lost" it. They are dying for this documented coward's reputation, such as it is.
Anyway, on to the title of this piece. If any Democratic senator or congressperson running for president wants to show real leadership (and get not only my vote but I'd bet a lot of others) let them return to the job for which they have already been elected and lead the fight to end the war in Iraq. They may be running for president, but what they are being paid for now--and their duty today--is to protect and defend the Constitution as Senators or Congresspeople and play their parts in government "by and for the people." Last I looked the Constitution does not include a King.
I speak specifically to Clinton and Obama--quit reading each other's kindergarten papers and mincing around Iowa. Go back to Washington and do the job you were hired for. I certainly would not vote to promote you, based on how you're carrying out your current assignment.
Quit talking about future leadership and show some now!