Today the House of representatives voted 246-182 to cut off funding for the Iraq War.

Oops. No they didn't. They voted 246-182 for a non-binding resolution disapproving of President Bush's "surge" plan to reduce violence, and kill insurgents and terrorists in Baghdad and the Anbar province. However, you couldn't really tell that from what Nancy Pelosi was saying.

“The stakes in Iraq are too high to recycle proposals that have little prospect for success,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, leader of Democrats who gained power last fall in elections framed by public opposition to the war.

“The passage of this legislation will signal a change in direction in Iraq that will end the fighting and bring our troops home,” Pelosi vowed after leading the House in a moment of silence as a sign of respect for those who are fighting and their families.

Over at the Victory Caucus they have the dishonor roll, the 17 Republicans who foolishly (and dangerously) want to undermine U.S. efforts in Iraq.

Members of Congress can certainly oppose President Bush's latest plan for Iraq. They can rail all they want about it on the House and Senate floor. If they even feel strongly enough about it, they can cut off funding for the troops and force the President to bring them all home.

However, few Democrats are willing to take that drastic a step -- in public.

Top House Democrats, working in concert with anti-war groups, have decided against using congressional power to force a quick end to U.S. involvement in Iraq, and instead will pursue a slow-bleed strategy designed to gradually limit the administration's options.

Led by Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Pa., and supported by several well-funded anti-war groups, the coalition's goal is to limit or sharply reduce the number of U.S. troops available for the Iraq conflict, rather than to openly cut off funding for the war itself.

A couple years back GOP congresswoman Jean Schmidt scolded Rep. Murtha with the following statement:

A few minutes ago I received a call from Colonel Danny Bubp, Ohio Representative from the 88th district in the House of Representatives. He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do.

My grandfather was a 30-year Marine Corps veteran. He served in World War II and Korea. He was at Pearl Harbor. He was at Leyte Gulf. He retired as a CWO2 and when it came to voting would punch a straight GOP party ballot. When my father saw that statement from Schmidt, he told me that CWO2 Thomas H. Hoy wouldn't have approved -- and he was probably right. But I also think that my grandfather would have been even more outraged at a camouflaged effort to reduce the funding and availability of troops as part of a "slow bleed" strategy run from the political backrooms in Washington.

Congress has the constitutional power to declare war. Today, the Congress demonstrated another power, though one not explicitly stated in the text of the constitution: the power to declare defeat -- sort of.

Tonight, Democrats -- and those 17 unfaithful Republicans -- will pat themselves on the back and possibly raise a glass in celebration of what they've done today. The shame and condemnation will have to come from history written years or decades from now -- if it even considers a non-binding resolution worthy of notice.