Yes, that's what's been holding them back so far. Astute call, gentlemen.

Robert Gates (1/26/07):

Defense Secretary Robert Gates declared that any Iraq resolution opposing President Bush’s escalation plan “certainly emboldens the enemy and our adversaries.” “It seems pretty straightforward that any indication of flagging will in the United States gives encouragement to those folks.”

Dick Cheney (1/25/07):

Cheney said the administration would disregard the nonbinding resolution opposing the troop increase and suggested it undermines soldiers in a war zone. "It won't stop us," he said. "And it would be, I think, detrimental from the standpoint of the troops."

Joe Lieberman (1/28/07):

This morning on Fox News, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) echoed the Bush administration and claimed that people who oppose escalation in Iraq are emboldening terrorists. “[I]t will discourage our troops, who we’re asking to carry out this new plan, and it will encourage the enemy,” Lieberman said.

Associated Press (1/26/07):

In perhaps the boldest and most sophisticated attack in four years of warfare, gunmen speaking English, wearing U.S. military uniforms and carrying American weapons abducted four U.S. soldiers last week at the provincial headquarters in the Shiite holy city of Karbala and then shot them to death.

The U.S. military confirmed a report earlier Friday by The Associated Press that three of the soldiers were dead and one was mortally wounded with a gunshot to the head when they were found in a neighboring province, about 25 miles from the compound where they were captured. A fifth soldier was killed in the initial attack on the compound.

Yes, clearly the absence of a non-binding resolution from the U.S. Senate--long known to be like kryptonite to terrorists and insurgents--is the only thing preventing our adversaries in Iraq from doing whatever the hell they want.

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Oregon, so the less said about Lieberman today, the better. Cheney, of course, crossed over the line into murderous madness a long time ago, but it was only a few weeks back, during Gates' confirmation hearings, that people could be heard sighing with relief that at least Gates wouldn't be a whackjob--and a relentlessly partisan, reality-denying whack-job, at that--like his predecessor.