Capitulation? Or best deal possible?

Democrats trying to figure out Iraq funding legislation they can get Bush to sign are working on a bill without timelines and without much of the unrelated domestic spending that fattened up previous versions. But they may attach a minimum wage hike to the bill. Will anti-war members bolt? Should they?

I never liked the idea of buying votes on an Iraq bill with pork, so ridding the legislation of it is, I think, a good thing. In an ideal world, a minimum wage hike would also be kept separate, especially since it can stand alone and pass, with plenty of Republican votes. But maybe that's how this sausage has to be made. Again, I'm interested in hearing what readers think.

UPDATE: Some commenters asked whether I had confirmed the wire story cited above with my own reporting. Here's an update with fresh reporting and more details, in a new post.