ArchPundit

I know the staff probably tells him what to do leaving him with the impression he’s in charge, but it gets kind of embarrassing when he says this:

Lipinski said he has sided with Bush on only two out of 13 Iraq votes. Plenty of other Democrats did too, he said. The 3rd District has a lot of Reagan Democrats more comfortable with his positions on Iraq and abortion than they would be with Pera’s, Lipinski said.

.Not so much:

Lipinski has voted in favor of Iraq war spending bills five times. If you add those five votes — which took place in May 2005, December 2005, December 2006, September 2006 and May 2007 — together, then you get a total $350 billion in Lipinski-approved war funding. Those five war funding bills were Bush war funding bills.

In terms of a timeline for withdrawal, Lipinski, like Bush, has opposed any movement in this direction.

Lipinski has never voted for, sponsored or co-sponsored anything that approaches a timeline bill. On the contrary, Lipinski has voted twice for resolutions that opposed setting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

•    In June 2006, Lipinski voted for a resolution that stated it was not in the national security interests of the U.S. to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment of U.S. Armed Force from Iraq. The resolution (HR 861) also affirmed the U.S. commitment to establishing democracy in Iraq.

•    In July 2005, Lipinski voted against withdrawing “prematurely” from Iraq. HR 2601 stated that it was U.S. policy to pursue a transfer of responsibility to Iraq forces and not withdraw U.S. forces prematurely from Iraq.

•    In May 2007, Lipinski voted against HR 2237, a piece of legislation that required the withdrawal of U.S. troops and contractors in Iraq within 90 days of the bill’s enactment. The withdrawal would have to be completed within 180 days.

•    In September 2007, Lipinski voted for HR 2206, an emergency appropriations bill that lacked language mandating a withdrawal or timeline for withdrawal.