The possibility of a 3.5 percent across the board military pay raise for 2008 is getting brighter. First, the Senate detached the pay raise from the roadblocked fiscal 2008 authorization bill and added it to the Wounded Warriors Act, which it passed. Next, the House Appropriations Committee funded the raise in its version of the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill, which it passed. In the past, the appropriations committee has cut back the amount of spending for pay raises even though the House authorized it (one committee can authorize the raise but the other can decide whether to write the check). With this year’s show of solidarity, Congress might be prepared to face down the administration’s call for only a 3 percent raise.