"Maybe ..... give... an arbitrary deadline or two. Like, line up with Murtha by this time tomorrow or we're outta here."
But why not apply it where the big mouths are, i.e. the House "out of Iraq" caucus, as in... demand these loud principle-bristling stalwarts get off the noble posturing and hot-air circuit, and prove to their constituents they mean business. Maybe start by publicly threatening the party honchos: "Either we get a full house Demo caucus 'out now' vote or we 're leaving the party -- flat -- and won't even consider rejoining till the last American trooper leaves Iraq."
They have some leverage here: if they made such a demand -- and were willing to back it up with action -- and the War Democrat honchos stonewall 'em or the vote goes against them, then the donkeycrats can kiss their '06 House majority dreams bye-bye. So the Out of Iraq caucus -- which ought to be the Out Now caucus -- has the whip hand, if they mean what they say enough to use it.
The "out of Iraq" caucus, last time I checked, included:
- Waters (CA)
- Lee (CA),
- Solis (CA),
- Woolsey (CA)
- Becerra (CA),
- Farr (CA),
- Watson (CA),
- Frank (MA),
- Delahunt (MA),
- McGovern (MA),
- Tubbs-Jones (OH),
- Kucinich (OH),
- Kaptur (OH),
- Owens (NY),
- Serrano (NY),
- Abercrombie (HI),
- Clay (MO),
- Jackson-Lee (TX),
- Kilpatrick (MI)
- McDermott (WA)