Sue Walitsky

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Baltimore) voted today against a measure that will provide $165 billion in additional funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into next spring, while U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Baltimore) voted in favor of the resolution, which passed 70-26.

"The American public is looking to Congress to act on behalf of the brave men and women of our U.S. Armed Forces," Cardin said in a statement. "They are not looking for a shift in our Iraq policy - they want us to change course and start bringing our troops home now. After more than five years, 4,000 American lives lost, 30,000 wounded, and $600 billion spent, I believe that our military and the American public deserve a clear signal that their leaders are listening. We failed to do that today."

"The senator voted against the war funding bill because he believes we need a new direction," Sue Walitsky, Cardin's communications director, said to PolitickerMD.com.

Meanwhile, Mikulski's communications director, Melissa Schwartz, told PolitickerMD.com, "Senator Mikulski's vote today is consistent with her position since voting against the war. She will continue to vote for a strategy to bring soldiers home safely and swiftly, but she will not vote against funding for our troops on the battlefield."

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Baltimore) is one of several uncommitted Democratic superdelegates in Maryland. Today, his communications director, Sue Walitsky, said the senator had no plans to publicly endorse either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton anytime soon. While he may not vocally declare his support, we asked Walitsky what Cardin thought the role of the superdelegates should be in the Democratic nominating contest.

“He really sees the superdelegates as being in position to unite the party behind the nominee,” Walitsky said.

When asked if Cardin believed the superdelegates should vote for the individual who is ahead in pledged delegates, Walitsky would not directly comment, saying, “The primary process still has to play itself out.”

Obama leads Clinton by roughly 150 pledged delegates at the current time. Democrats still have more than ten contests remaining, including this evening’s Mississippi primary, where Obama is expected to carry the majority of the 33 delegates. It is virtually mathematically impossible for Clinton to overtake Obama in the pledged delegate lead, meaning her path to the nomination would come from the superdelegates.

Sen. Ben CardinSenator Ben Cardin is doing his part to keep Congress in session over the holiday break with the explicit purpose to stop President George W. Bush from making recess appointments.

On Friday, Jan. 18, Cardin will gavel the Senate open for new business, and then quickly declare the session closed. It is likely to last less than a minute.

The unusual step of having a series of 11 pro forma sessions and short recess periods, rather than one long recess during the holiday and New Year's season, precludes the President from making 'recess appointments' that circumvent the Senate's advice and consent over senior government officials, including judges.