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Politics

Senate Republicans block debate on Iraq troop surge

By Washington Post
Published February 6, 2007

WASHINGTON - A long-awaited Senate showdown on the war in Iraq was shut down before it started Monday when nearly all Republicans voted to stop the Senate from considering a resolution opposing President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more combat troops into battle.

A day of posturing, finger-pointing and backroom wrangling came to nothing when Democratic and Republican leaders failed to reach agreement on which nonbinding resolutions would be debated and allowed to come to a vote .

The Senate's 49-47 vote Monday night to proceed to debate Bush's new war policy fell 11 votes short of the 60 needed to break the logjam. Just two Republicans, Sens. Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Susan Collins of Maine, voted with the Democrats to proceed with the debate. Both are considered among the most vulnerable senators standing for re-election in 2008.

Republicans said the impasse would soon be broken, but leaders of the two parties appeared to be far from a compromise Monday night, and the White House has worked hard to block action on a resolution disapproving of the president's decision to boost troop levels. "What you just saw was Republicans giving the president the green light to escalate in Iraq," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said.

Republicans said they had no desire to avoid a debate, saying they simply wanted a fair hearing on their proposals.

"We are ready and anxious to have this debate this week," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said. Reid and McConnell were expected to resume negotiations today after conferring with their members.

A massive budget bill for the remainder of the current fiscal year comes before the Senate on Wednesday and Reid promised war amendments to that debate. Bush has requested more than $230-billion in funding for the war, to cover this year and next year, and that legislation is likely to become a magnet for Iraq concerns.

Next week, the Democratic-led House is expected to move forward with its version of the nonbinding resolutions that now sit stuck in the Senate.

At issue in the Senate are four separate measures. The main resolution, worked out by Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., would put the Senate on record opposing the additional troop deployment while calling for a diplomatic initiative to settle the conflict. It would also oppose a cutoff of funds for troops in the field of battle.

The Republican leadership's alternative, drafted by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., would establish tough new benchmarks for the Iraqi government to achieve but would not oppose the planned deployment.

Two other versions appear at the heart of the impasse. The first, drafted by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., would back the White House and the president's decision to boost troop strength in Iraq. It recognizes the power of the president to deploy troops and the "responsibility" of Congress to fund them - before stating "Congress should not take any action that will endanger United States military forces in the field, including the elimination or reduction of funds."

The fourth proposed resolution, from Democrats, would oppose Bush's plan and insist troops are properly protected with body armor and other material.

The Democratic leadership gave Republicans a choice: Allow all four versions to come to a vote, with a simple majority needed for passing any of them, or debate and vote on the Warner and McCain resolutions, with both needing 60 votes to pass.

McConnell wanted all four resolutions to meet a 60-vote threshold, for a simple reason: Both Democrats and Republicans believe the only measure that could attract 60 votes is Gregg's, because Democrats would fear the political ramifications of appearing to take action to curtail military spending.

"If Republicans cannot swallow the thin soup of the Warner resolution, how are they going to stomach a real debate on Iraq?" asked Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill.

McConnell called the dispute nothing more than "a bump in the road."

Fast Facts:

The latest in Iraq

Attacks: Bombings and mortar attacks killed at least 30 Iraqis on Monday in Baghdad, and 44 others were killed or found dead across the country.

U.S. deaths: The U.S. military reported the deaths of two soldiers, both killed on Sunday north of Baghdad.

Kidnapping: An Iranian diplomat was abducted Sunday when his convoy was stopped by men with Defense Ministry identification in Baghdad, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Monday.

Sadr casualties: Two key members of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's organization were killed Sunday. Khalil al-Malik died in a drive-by shooting in Basra, and Ali Khazim died in a confrontation with U.S. troops northeast of Baghdad.

[Last modified February 6, 2007, 01:37:14]