Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell took a few minutes this afternoon to update National Review Online on the status of the Iraq debate.

On the Democrats’ overall strategy: “I think the Democrats offered their best amendment right out of the chute,” McConnell said, referring to Sen. James Webb’s amendment to put limits on troop rotations to Iraq. It was an effort, McConnell said, “to pit the troops against the commander-in-chief. I think they thought that would be hardest to defeat.” The Republicans succeeded in blocking the Webb amendment when the Democrats could not get the 60 votes they needed for cloture.

On the politics of the Democrats’ Iraq amendments: These amendments would only become binding if the president signed them into law — something he pointedly refused to do when the Democrats attached similar amendments to the bill that actually contained the money for Iraq. Even though the president has said he will veto any bill that puts unconstitutional limits on his powers as commander-in-chief, and the Democrats don’t have the votes to override him, they are making Iraq an issue now because, McConnell says, ”They enjoy having Iraq votes. They think it’s a winning issue for them. They believe it’s why they’re in the majority. It is rather blatantly political, when we’re dealing with a very serious subject.”

The Senate’s refusal to quit playing politics with this issue until September, when Gen. David Petraeus is scheduled to brief Congress on the progress of the troop surge, has prevented Congress from getting almost anything else done. “The American people have figured it out,” McConnell says, referring to Congress’s dismal approval ratings. ”This is a Congress about Iraq votes and investigations, and legislative accomplishments are simply non-existent.”

On GOP defections: When asked if he believes his coalition will hold together and defeat Democratic proposals to set a timeline for withdrawal, McConnell says, “I don’t want to say I’m totally certain, but I’m optimistic.” He says the only amendment that’s gained significant GOP support, the Salazar-Alexander amendment, “envisions American troops still being in Iraq long-term, as I understand it.” For that reason, he says it hasn’t gained enough support from Democrats to present a threat to the GOP’s strategy.