The Politico gets wind of John Murtha's new plan to scale down the war in Iraq without actually cutting off funds:
Murtha... will seek to attach a provision to an upcoming $93 billion supplemental spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan. It would restrict the deployment of troops to Iraq unless they meet certain levels adequate manpower, equipment and training to succeed in combat. That's a standard Murtha believes few of the units Bush intends to use for the surge would be able to meet.
The clever part, I imagine, is that not many Republicans will want to vote for sending troops into combat without adequate equipment and training. No idea if Murtha's plan will actually work, although grassroots organizations are planning to spend over $8 million on ads and lobbying efforts to get the proposal through the Senate.
--Bradford Plumer