The Explanation is that Our Beloved Leader Leads, He's the Decider

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who learned just before the meeting started that another one of his constituents has been killed while serving in Iraq, said it was an "understatement" to call the session a disappointment. "We, the people's body, the Congress, are speaking for the American people," Reid said. "The American people want our troops to come home. The American people expect the president to respond to some basic things, like a timeline, like to make sure there's troop readiness. And the answer we got time after time in the meeting we had this morning is that the president would take no responsibility."

Link.