I take the view of Obsidian Wings:
The early narrative on the Iraq funding debate is that Democrats "lost" and Bush "won." Sorry, but I don't buy that. People need to view this particular skirmish and its inevitable, entirely-predictable conclusion through a longer-term lens. If Bush "won," it's the most Pyrrhic victory of all time.
…the Democrats should stop sulking and be happy with the result because of their spending bills, the parties are polarized on an issue where the public overwhelmingly and increasingly supports the Democratic position on the war. For this reason, the "capitulation" should instead be a time for offense…
For similar reasons, Bush and the GOP should think twice before celebrating their victory. Very often, people lose sight of the substance of a debate because they get too caught up in the horse race. Sure, in some sense, Bush "won," but what exactly did he win? He successfully obtained blanket authority for endless, escalating war the one issue that cost the GOP Congress and will likely cost them more in 2008.