Discussing the congressional debate over Iraq policy on the June 14 edition of NBC's Today, NBC News Washington bureau chief Tim Russert echoed a position uncritically reported by NBC congressional correspondent Chip Reid -- that a vote against the recently passed supplemental war spending bill was tantamount to voting to cut off funding for the troops. However, Russert did not voice the same view of Republicans who voted “no” on an earlier version of the bill. Russert said that “the Democratic leadership realizes to vote against funding for the troops would be seen in a general election as not supporting the troops.” Neither Russert nor Today co-host Matt Lauer pointed out that President Bush vetoed the earlier version of the Iraq funding bill, which most Republican members of Congress voted against, as Media Matters for America has repeatedly noted.

Also, Lauer accused Democrats of “want[ing] to have it both ways,” adding: “They send a bill to the president, a supplemental funding bill. In that bill, it talks about these reports that will come in July and September, waiting to hear if the surge is working from General Petraeus. And now they're saying, 'We're going to tell you it's not working before we ever see those reports.' ” But contrary to Lauer's suggestion, there is already mounting evidence that Bush's strategy of increasing the number of U.S. troops in Iraq is not working. According to a June 14 Washington Post article, a Defense Department report found that Bush's plan has not reduced violence in Iraq.

Lauer and Russert discussed the issue after a report by Chip Reid on a letter that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) sent to President Bush. In the letter, Harry Reid and Pelosi wrote that “the escalation has failed to produce the intended results” and that “we intend to again send you legislation that would limit the U.S. mission in Iraq, begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces, and bring the war to a responsible end.”

The June 14 Post article described the Defense Department report as “the first comprehensive statistical overview of the new U.S. military strategy in Iraq.” The report stated that "[t]he overall level of violence in Iraq this quarter remained similar to the previous reporting period but shifted location." The report also included a chart showing that the average number of attacks each week on Iraqi civilians, Iraqi security forces, and coalition forces had increased slightly since the beginning of Bush's security plan.

Chip Reid noted that Bush has said that “any conclusions on whether the surge is working should wait until General David Petraeus reports back in September.” Chip Reid then asked, “So why are Democrats ratcheting up on Iraq now?” He answered his own question by saying that “the tough talk comes as a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll" shows low approval for Congress, implying that the poll numbers led to the Democrats' decision.

Although Bush has said that conclusions on his decision to increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq should wait until September, several media reports have noted that White House press secretary Tony Snow is "play[ing] down the notion of September as a pivotal time of evaluation" and "trying to dial ... back" expectations about Petraeus' testimony.

Chip Reid later added that the actions by Harry Reid and Pelosi were "[a]n effort by Democrats to appease antiwar activists and powerful liberal bloggers." However, contrary to the notion that changing course in Iraq is favored by only “activists” and “liberal bloggers,” a June 12 Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll found that 68 percent of the public wants to begin a withdrawal “right away” or “within the next year.”

Responding to Lauer's accusation that the “Democrats in Congress” “want to have it both ways” because the supplemental funding bill that was signed by Bush requires reports by July 15 and on September 15, Russert agreed: “Absolutely. They are listening to the base of their party. They want the withdrawal of troops, and yet politically the Democratic leadership realizes to vote against funding for the troops would be seen in a general election as not supporting the troops.”

From the June 14 broadcast of NBC's Today:

LAUER: Back in Washington, Democrats are taking aim at the troop surge in Iraq, saying it's failed already. NBC's Chip Reid has the latest on that story from Capitol Hill. Chip, good morning to you.

CHIP REID: Well, good morning, Matt. Democrats are ratcheting up the rhetoric on Iraq and setting the stage for another major battle with President Bush.

[begin video clip]

CHIP REID: After meeting with the president at the White House, top Democrats threw down the gauntlet on Iraq.

PELOSI: Any strategy for stability in the Middle East must be begun by the redeployment of our troops out of Iraq.

CHIP REID: Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid fired off a letter to the president, saying the surge “has failed to produce the intended results” and telling the president they plan to send him legislation later this month that would “begin the phased redeployment of forces, and bring the war to a responsible end.”

HARRY REID: On Iraq, we're going to hold the president's feet to the fire.

CHIP REID: But the president has already promised to veto any such legislation, and says any conclusions on whether the surge is working should wait until General David Petraeus reports back in September. So why are Democrats ratcheting up on Iraq now? Well, the tough talk comes as a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows Congress' approval rating plunging to a dismal 23 percent, much of that loss of support comes from the Democratic base, according to NBC News political director Chuck Todd.

TODD: Well, I think the Democrats are seeing that their base is quite angry with them that they haven't done anything on Iraq. It's being reflected in bad poll ratings, and I think they realize they need to turn their attention back to Iraq.

CHIP REID: An effort by Democrats to appease antiwar activists and powerful liberal bloggers who are still infuriated that the Democratic-led Congress passed the president's Iraq spending bill three weeks ago.

[end video clip]

CHIP REID: So, Democrats are hoping to pass new legislation limiting the president's alternatives in Iraq sometime over the next two weeks because when they go home for the July 4th recess, they want to be able to tell those activists that they're at least trying to force the president to change course in Iraq. Matt.

LAUER: All right, Chip. Thanks very much. Chip Reid on Capitol Hill this morning. Let's get a little bit of a take on this from NBC's Tim Russert, who joins us in the studio. Hey, Tim. Good morning to you.

RUSSERT: Good morning, Matt.

LAUER: Seems to me the Democrats in Congress want to have it both ways. They send a bill to the president, a supplemental funding bill. In that bill, it talks about these reports that will come in July and September, waiting to hear if the surge is working from General Petraeus. And now they're saying, “We're going to tell you it's not working before we ever see those reports.”

RUSSERT: Absolutely. They are listening to the base of their party. The base wants the war to be over. They want the withdrawal of troops, and yet politically the Democratic leadership realizes to vote against funding for the troops would be seen in a general election as not supporting the troops, and you see that being played out right now.

LAUER: Is this all about these poll numbers? I mean, they don't know about our poll numbers, but they're hearing it from their base.