Democrats were rather more calm, for the obvious reason that the public is solidly behind them. The latest evidence of that came in a poll by the Pew Research Center yesterday, which found that Americans, by 59 percent to 33 percent, favor a timetable for leaving Iraq.

In fact, Democrats decided that, even though both chambers of Congress have passed the war spending bill with the withdrawal timeline, they wouldn't deliver the legislation to the White House for an anticipated veto until Tuesday -- the fourth anniversary of President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

This purposeful delay sent Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to the TV cameras to protest.

"This conference report should be sent down to the president today, by the close of business today," he demanded. "Not tomorrow, not next Monday, but today."

Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), chairman of the Republican caucus, stepped to the microphones next. "I would join with my Republican colleagues here in urging the Democrats to very quickly get this veto behind us," he recommended.

Democrats earnestly explained how they couldn't possibly move so quickly. The bill had to be printed on parchment, then signed by the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate -- actions that would almost certainly take until Tuesday, particularly with all the "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work" observances.