Undetered by the failure of last week’s joint resolution to clear the Senate, the Democrats have come up with a new plan to engage the Bush Administration on the Iraq War, you might call it the “take-back” strategy:

Senate Democratic leaders intend to unveil a plan next week to repeal the 2002 resolution authorizing the war in Iraq in favor of narrower authority that restricts the military’s role and begins withdrawals of combat troops. (…) The new framework would set a goal for withdrawing combat brigades by March 31, 2008, the same timetable established by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. Once the combat phase ends, troops would be restricted to assisting Iraqis with training, border security and counterterrorism.

This, not a pointless and toothless resolution that condemns the war, is exactly what is needed, a real debate over the question of whether American troops actually belong in Iraq and what “victory” in Iraq actually means. Hopefully, we’ll actually get it this time.