President Bush said today he accepts the idea of including benchmarks for progress in Iraq as part of an emergency war spending bill, but he rejected what he called a “piecemeal” funding approach now under consideration in the House and vowed to veto it if it reaches his desk.

In a news conference at the Pentagon after receiving a briefing from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Bush leveled sharp criticism at congressional Democrats, accusing them of seeking political gain from the war-funding bill, and he warned them not to “hamstring” U.S. commanders in the field or include “pork” projects in the supplemental appropriations bill. Yet he also expressed a desire to find “common ground” with Congress.

Democrats said in response that they would maintain pressure on Bush to change course in Iraq and extract U.S. troops from the middle of what they called a sectarian civil war there.

[The Associated Press reports: "The Democratic-controlled House defeated legislation Thursday to require the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq within nine months, then pivoted to a fresh challenge of President Bush's handling of the unpopular war. The vote on the nine-month withdrawal measure was 255-171."]

Congress needs to fund the bill so our troops can have the best equipment available, and even hot meals. With no funding contractors will stop working and that includes the contractors who provide our troops with hot meals instead of MREs.

Fund it or do your constitutional duty, Congress, and actually pass a bill that defunds the war so you can shoulder that responsibility.

Story.