Securing Iraq Votes, One at a Time

Democratic aides concede that some party members, including Woolsey, Lee and Doggett, are all but lost. But they are not giving up.

"There's nothing guaranteed in life, but I feel very good," Emanuel said.

The leadership initially focused its attention on the Blue Dogs, massaging the legislation to address their concerns that Congress not appear to micromanage the war by imposing restrictions on resting and training troops. And Pelosi reached out to them personally, making a surprise appearance as they gathered in House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer's office to discuss the legislation.

It was Hoyer (D-Md.) who had the sharpest words. Several conservative Democrats have suggested that the House's role in Iraq should be confined, at least for now, to oversight hearings and investigations into the conduct of the war. "You can't have accountability without consequences," Hoyer warned, and Pelosi nodded her approval.

With the conservatives' attention on the troop language, leaders could win over liberals on a separate track: a timeline for withdrawing troops. Although some of the most ardent Out of Iraq Caucus members, who want to bring troops home immediately, are considered lost, Pelosi and her leadership team have made inroads with others.

A meeting in Pelosi's office Thursday stretched from 1:30 to 4 p.m., as 35 to 40 Democratic liberals hashed over the legislation with Pelosi, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (D-Wis.) and Pelosi's political consigliere, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.).

Miller's pitch was blunt: If the liberals team up with Republicans to bring down the Iraq bill, Democratic leaders would have no choice but to come back with a spending bill that simply funds the war, without any policy restrictions. It would pass easily, with Republican votes and the support of many Democrats.

That night, Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey (D-N.Y.), an Out of Iraq Caucus member, joined other liberals for a meeting in a basement room of the Capitol. With the zeal of the converted, Hinchey told his colleagues, "If we cannot pass a bill like this, the alternative is far worse, a straightforward 'Here's the money, Mr. President, spend it any way you want.' "

"This solution is not perfect," he said he told the group. "But it's a hell of a lot better than anything else we can get."