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| GOP support: Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (left) argued against Iraq troop withdrawals Wednesday. Andy Nelson – staff |
The strategy behind Senate Iraq war vote
An amendment to set a timetable for US troop withdrawal was defeated Wednesday.
from the July 19, 2007 edition
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Despite Republicans' doubts about the current Iraq strategy, all but four rallied to block a vote on the Reed-Levin amendment. Sen. Susan Collins (R) of Maine was the lone Republican to switch sides on this vote. She joined GOP Sens. Gordon Smith of Oregon, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and Olympia Snowe of Maine, who had previously announced support of the amendment.
Outside the Capitol, hundreds of anti-war activists rallied Tuesday evening to help shine a light on Senate activities.
"The vote showed to the American people that even though Republicans have been talking the talk, they haven't been walking the walk," says Tom Matzzie of MoveOn.org Political Action. "They're still supporting Bush."
Antiwar activists applaud the strategy.
"There was enormous pressure on Susan Collins," says Tom Andrews, national director of Win Without War. "The real test of this is not going to be on the floor of the Senate, or the Capitol building. But it will be in these states. That's where this war will be decided."
"It's a double-barreled approach: Congressional leaders have committed to keep the debate and voting going on this issue, and we are committed to keeping the heat up in these congressional districts," said Andrews.
House Democrats say they are planning more votes on the war next week, in a bid to pressure wavering Republican House members.
"We will likely be having votes on the war next week," says Brendan Daley, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. These could include legislation to ban permanent bases in Iraq or to deauthorize the use of force in Iraq. "It's something we're deciding now," he says.
Meanwhile, on the Senate side, Senate majority leader Harry Reid pulled the $648.8 billion defense authorization bill from the floor, which is likely to come back for a vote after the August recess. "We'll come back to this bill as soon as it's clear we can make real progress," he says.
Senate Republican leaders denounced the majority leader's decision to take the bill off the floor.
"We are abandoning the men and women in the military if we don't take this bill back up and pass it, conference with the House,
and have it signed by the president of the United States, as we have for the past 45 years," said Sen. John McCain (R) of
Arizona, in a briefing after the vote.
"Harry Reid is going to have to gain his support incrementally," says Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.
The Levin-Reed Iraq Amendment:
1. Requires the president to begin reducing the number of US troops in Iraq within 120 days after enactment of the measure
2. Mandates transitioning the mission of remaining US military troops to force protection, training of Iraqi security forces, and counterterrorism
3. Requires that this transition be completed by April 30, 2008
4. Calls for a comprehensive diplomatic, political, and economic strategy to stabilize Iraq
5. Seeks the appointment of an international mediator under the guidance of the UN Security Council
Source: Website of Sen. Carl Levin (D) of Michigan
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