NBC's Williams: Iraq spending bill would be "vote" by Dems "to leave American soldiers high and dry"

On the April 3 edition of NBC's Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams asked NBC Washington bureau chief Tim Russert if President Bush, in threatening to veto an emergency Iraq war supplemental bill that would contain a timeline for troop withdrawal, was making "a calculated bet ... that Democrats aren't really going to vote to leave American soldiers high and dry in the middle of the fight." Russert replied that Bush "[a]bsolutely" was making such a "calculated bet" because "[h]e believes in the end he will get the funding" for the war.

But, as Media Matters for America has previously noted, both Democratic-led houses of Congress have passed legislation providing funding for the troops in the field. The Senate and House are expected to reconcile the bills in conference and send a final version to the president for his signature. Bush, however, has promised to veto the bill if it includes a timeline for the redeployment of troops from Iraq. So while Congress has demonstrated a clear intention to fund the troops, Bush has said he will veto the bill -- thereby denying funding to the troops -- if it doesn't meet his conditions.

From the April 3 edition of NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams:

WILLIAMS: And with us tonight for some analysis, our Washington bureau chief, moderator of Meet the Press, Tim Russert.

Tim, we mentioned at the top of the broadcast, isn't this a calculated bet on the president's part, betting that Democrats aren't really going to vote to leave American soldiers high and dry in the middle of the fight?

RUSSERT: Absolutely, Brian. He believes in the end he will get the funding, but the Democrats are also betting, Brian, that the president will veto a bill that puts pressure on the Iraqis and sets a date for withdrawal of U.S. troops. They believe 60 percent of the American people agree with them on that issue. So what happens after the president vetoes that Democratic bill? Then, I believe, enough Democrats will join Republicans to provide the funding, but a significant bloc of Democrats will oppose the funding. And today, Brian, as indicated by David [Gregory, NBC chief White House correspondent], the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Harry Reid [NV], said he will vote to cut off funding. That puts enormous pressure on Hillary Clinton [NY], Barack Obama [IL], Joe Biden [DE], Chris Dodd [CT], Democrats in the Senate running for president, having to make a decision on that issue.

—J.M.