red states rule
Senior Member
- May 30, 2006
- 16,011
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It seems the Surrendercrats have lost another one
Can we now move on and fund the troops without the surrender amendment?
The US Senate on Wednesday rejected a bid to compel President George W. Bush to complete the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008, in the latest angry jab by anti-war Democrats at the White House.
The Democratic amendment, overwhelming knocked down by 67 votes to 29, would have required troop redeployments to start within 120 days of enactment of the bill, and would have cut funding for most combat operations when it was complete.
The legislation, a symbolic measure intended to crank up pressure on Bush over the war, would have allowed only operations against terrorists in Iraq, training of Iraqi troops and protection of US installations.
It was the latest tense stage of the showdown between the Democratic-controlled Congress and the White House for control of the unpopular war -- and was the first indication of the number of senators prepared to use Congress's power of the purse to end the war.
The measure also allowed key presidential candidate like senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to publicly put on record their demands to an end to a war which has know killed nearly 3,400 US soldiers.
Before casting their votes, Democratic senators lined up to castigate Bush over his war policy, and vowed to keep up the pressure until he changes course.
"Too many blank checks have been given to the president," said Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, warning US troops were "meshed in an intractable civil war in Iraq."
Veteran Senator and presidential candidate Joseph Biden said Democrats would continue to bring up attempts to change course in the war until Bush's Republican backers crumbled.
"This is all about in my view getting to the 67 votes to be able to override the president's veto, and ending this God awful mess," Biden said.
Clinton, under fire on the campaign trail for voting in 2002 to authorize Bush to wage war in Iraq, had vowed to make a strong anti-war statement.
"I will cast my vote to send the president a clear message: Democrats are united in fighting to change course, redeploy our troops out of Iraq, and end this war as soon as possible," she said in a statement Tuesday.
Obama also explained why he would back the amendment, attached to an unrelated water resources bill.
"I will support both, not because I believe either is the best answer, but because I want to send a strong statement to the Iraqi government, the president and my Republican colleagues that it's long past time to change course," he said.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070516162331.oqvamz5g&show_article=1&catnum=0
Can we now move on and fund the troops without the surrender amendment?
The US Senate on Wednesday rejected a bid to compel President George W. Bush to complete the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008, in the latest angry jab by anti-war Democrats at the White House.
The Democratic amendment, overwhelming knocked down by 67 votes to 29, would have required troop redeployments to start within 120 days of enactment of the bill, and would have cut funding for most combat operations when it was complete.
The legislation, a symbolic measure intended to crank up pressure on Bush over the war, would have allowed only operations against terrorists in Iraq, training of Iraqi troops and protection of US installations.
It was the latest tense stage of the showdown between the Democratic-controlled Congress and the White House for control of the unpopular war -- and was the first indication of the number of senators prepared to use Congress's power of the purse to end the war.
The measure also allowed key presidential candidate like senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to publicly put on record their demands to an end to a war which has know killed nearly 3,400 US soldiers.
Before casting their votes, Democratic senators lined up to castigate Bush over his war policy, and vowed to keep up the pressure until he changes course.
"Too many blank checks have been given to the president," said Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, warning US troops were "meshed in an intractable civil war in Iraq."
Veteran Senator and presidential candidate Joseph Biden said Democrats would continue to bring up attempts to change course in the war until Bush's Republican backers crumbled.
"This is all about in my view getting to the 67 votes to be able to override the president's veto, and ending this God awful mess," Biden said.
Clinton, under fire on the campaign trail for voting in 2002 to authorize Bush to wage war in Iraq, had vowed to make a strong anti-war statement.
"I will cast my vote to send the president a clear message: Democrats are united in fighting to change course, redeploy our troops out of Iraq, and end this war as soon as possible," she said in a statement Tuesday.
Obama also explained why he would back the amendment, attached to an unrelated water resources bill.
"I will support both, not because I believe either is the best answer, but because I want to send a strong statement to the Iraqi government, the president and my Republican colleagues that it's long past time to change course," he said.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070516162331.oqvamz5g&show_article=1&catnum=0
