A Double Victory

In a victory both for national security and for the Constitution, the Senate Republicans have fought back the Democrats' latest attempt to surrender to the terrorists in Iraq, this time by setting a withdrawal deadline.

Obviously, it goes without saying that surrendering the battlefield to Al Qaeda in Iraq is a bad idea for America's national security. What's more, under the Constitution, the Congress has two responsibilities in wartime: To declare war, and to withhold funding if the situation warrants it.

The Congress on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis approved the Iraq war. If it has changed its mind, there is always the alternative of defunding it. But nothing in the Constitution gives the Congress power to manage the war; such responsibilities are inherent in the President's role as Commander-in-Chief.

Way to go, Senate Republicans!