Parties join forces on war resolution
WASHINGTON – Democratic and Republican opponents of President Bush’s troop buildup plan joined forces Wednesday night behind the nonbinding resolution with the broadest bipartisan backing: a Republican measure from Sen. John Warner of Virginia.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced the shift, hoping to unite a large majority of the Senate and thwart efforts by the White House and GOP leaders to derail any congressional resolution of disapproval of Bush’s decision to increase U.S. troop levels in Iraq by 21,500.
Although the original Democratic language was popular within the party, it had little appeal among Republicans. Warner’s proposal drew support from both sides, and was retooled Wednesday night to maximize both Democratic and Republican votes.
The revised resolution would express the Senate’s opposition to the troop buildup but would vow to protect funding for the troops. The resolution does not include the Democratic language saying the troop increase is against the national interest, but also drops an earlier provision by Warner suggesting Senate support for some additional troops.
“It’s been a hard work in progress,” Warner said of the revised resolution, which will require the support of at least 60 senators to prevent a filibuster.
After reviewing the Warner revisions, Reid decided the new text would take the place of the original resolution by written Foreign Relations Chairman Joe Biden, D-Del., Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. He said that the Senate would begin debating the resolution next week, provided Democrats and Republicans can agree on a way to overcome some difficult procedural hurdles.
In both the House and Senate, Democratic leaders decided to get the largest possible vote, even if it meant embracing weaker language than the original Democratic resolution.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino responded to the announcement, saying: “The president wants to win in Iraq – he’s proposed a comprehensive plan to do so, and he’s asked Congress to give the plan a chance to work. … These resolutions send mixed signals to our troops and our enemy.”
The Warner and Biden resolutions reach almost identical conclusions, in that they oppose the president’s deployment of 21,500 additional troops and call for existing troops to be reassigned to guard Iraq’s borders, combat terrorism and train Iraqi security forces. Both measures call for regional diplomacy to draw Iraq’s neighbors into a peace process.
In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested that the chamber may consider binding legislation. In comments aired Wednesday by National Public Radio, Pelosi said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had told her during her visit to Baghdad last week that with sufficient funds, his government could stabilize Iraq in four to six months and allow 50,000 troops to be deployed out of hotbeds of violence.