This week , congressional Democrats surrendered to Bush on the issue of Iraq war funding.They supported a bill that would not only fund the war beyond the end of Bush's term, but also fund a possible expansion of the conflict into other countries such as Iran or Syria . This shows that Democrats are no less interested in supporting the corporate imperialist agenda set out by the Bush administration and its neoconservative allies ,than Republicans. There were some top Democrats however, (apart from those in the progressive caucus, who consistently oppose funding) who opposed the bill . They include Senators Clinton and Obama along with House Speaker Pelosi . All of them have for the first time voted against a war spending bill. They did not do so because they oppose this war or war in general , but they did it for political reasons. Democrats have to pretend they oppose the war (although some really do) and they opposed the bill because it had none of the artificial time tables or unenforceable bench marks they originally proposed. In the case of Clinton and Obama , presidential aspirations were the main reason, as they try to endear themselves to the liberal base of the Democratic Party. But whatever their motivations , I do appreciate their "No" vote. Having said that though , the Iraq war shouldn't be about this political theater. The sad truth is that this war funding bill is s death warrant for thousands of people. It's a strange way to support the troops by letting them die in a pointless war. It is high time we defund this war and bring the troops and the private contractors home ,using the money that is already available. Frank Mill