More than anything else, the sticking point in today's discussion about the war spending supplemental appropriations bill at the White House involved the timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. soldiers on the ground. President Bush and House Minority Leader Boehner (R-OH) argued con and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) pressed the pro line, but those on the ground spoke loudest of all. As Bloomberg reported today: The meeting occurred on one of the worst days of violence in Baghdad since Bush in January ordered 30,000 more troops to Iraq to bolster security. Car bombings in the Iraqi capitol killed at least 166 people, including 127 who died in an attack on a market in a mainly Shiite Muslim district. Also on the ground was Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who aided and abetted the Pelosi position at a press conference in Amman, Jordan: I think the debate itself, and I think that the strong feelings expressed in the Congress about the timetable probably has had a positive impact [by signalling to Iraqis] that this is not an open-ended commitment."