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March 26, 2007
Senate GOP Will Not Block Iraq Bill
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 8:59 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he
will try to block a Democratic effort to force troop withdrawal but won't
stand in the way of the Iraq spending bill that would contain it because he
knows President Bush would veto the package.
''Our goal is to pass it quickly,'' said McConnell, R-Ky. ''Our troops need
the money.''
Unable to override Bush's veto, Democrats would have to redraft the bill
without a ''surrender deadline,'' he said.
The Senate faces a cliffhanging vote this week on whether to uphold the
withdrawal provision in a $122 billion bill that would finance the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
The legislation would require that Bush begin pulling out some troops right
away with the goal of ending combat missions by March 31, 2008.
The legislation also provides about $20 billion for domestic programs, and
increasingly looks like a magnet for far-flung other issues such as a
proposed increase in the minimum wage.
Republicans have demanded tax cuts as a condition for their support of a
higher minimum wage, and officials said key senators were drafting a
provision for debate that would include both those issues. It calls for tax
cuts at least as high as the $8.3 billion package the Senate passed earlier,
if not larger. House Democrats have labeled that amount excessive.
Still, most of the debate surrounding the measure centers on the Iraq War.
The House passed a troops-pullout measure last week, but with a tougher
deadline. Whereas the Senate identifies March 2008 as a goal -- giving the
president leeway to ignore the deadline -- the House voted 218-212 to
require all combat troops out as of Aug. 31, 2008.
''The United States Senate will ensure they have everything they need to
continue this fight as we have done,'' said Majority Leader Harry Reid,
D-Nev. But ''we must also ensure that our soldiers have a strategy for
success.''
The Senate will vote as early as Tuesday on a Republican amendment to strip
the withdrawal language from the bill.
''Congress should not be tying the hands of our commanders or limiting their
flexibility to respond to threats on the battlefield,'' said Sen. Thad
Cochran, R-Miss., the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee.
Sen. John McCain, a presidential contender for 2008, told reporters in
Dallas Monday that the debate is not about whether to bring troops home.
''It's a date certain for surrender, a date certain for us to tell our
enemies we're leaving and they will have their way.''
In a conference call with reporters, McConnell said the nonbinding nature of
the Senate deadline would be a distinction lost on U.S. foes and the measure
would serve as a ''memo to our enemies to let them know when they can
operate again.''
Likewise, Bush has said he will veto any measure that attempts to
micromanage the war.
''These Democrats believe that the longer they can delay funding for our
troops, the more likely they are to force me to accept restrictions on our
commanders, an artificial timetable for withdrawal and their pet spending
projects. This is not going to happen,'' Bush said last week.
Whether Republicans can prevent such a showdown between Bush and Congress is
unclear. Democratic leaders have labored to bolster support for their
proposal and their success could hinge on a single vote.
Earlier this month, the Senate rejected a similar timetable on the war with
Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas siding
with Republicans against the proposal in a 50-48 vote.
Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon was the lone Republican voting in favor of the
resolution.
Since the March 15 vote, Reid and others have made changes in hopes of
persuading Nelson and Pryor to support the withdrawal proposal. The changes
include a series of suggested goals for the Iraqi government to meet to
provide for its own security, enhance democracy and distribute its oil
wealth fairly.
Nelson said last week he agreed to support the measure because the
benchmarks ''can be used by Congress to make future decisions about U.S.
military presence in Iraq.''
Pryor remains reluctant.
''I think if the public timetable remains, Senator Pryor would likely oppose
it,'' said spokesman Michael Teague.
While most Republicans are expected to reject setting a timetable in Iraq,
the vote is likely to be a difficult one for those facing re-election next
year.
A solid majority of Americans want their representatives in Congress to
support legislation calling for a withdrawal of U.S . forces from Iraq
by August 2008.
Nearly six in 10 want their members of Congress to support such a bill, and
one-third want them to oppose it, according to a poll released Monday by the
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
Senate GOP Will Not Block Iraq Bill
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 8:59 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he
will try to block a Democratic effort to force troop withdrawal but won't
stand in the way of the Iraq spending bill that would contain it because he
knows President Bush would veto the package.
''Our goal is to pass it quickly,'' said McConnell, R-Ky. ''Our troops need
the money.''
Unable to override Bush's veto, Democrats would have to redraft the bill
without a ''surrender deadline,'' he said.
The Senate faces a cliffhanging vote this week on whether to uphold the
withdrawal provision in a $122 billion bill that would finance the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
The legislation would require that Bush begin pulling out some troops right
away with the goal of ending combat missions by March 31, 2008.
The legislation also provides about $20 billion for domestic programs, and
increasingly looks like a magnet for far-flung other issues such as a
proposed increase in the minimum wage.
Republicans have demanded tax cuts as a condition for their support of a
higher minimum wage, and officials said key senators were drafting a
provision for debate that would include both those issues. It calls for tax
cuts at least as high as the $8.3 billion package the Senate passed earlier,
if not larger. House Democrats have labeled that amount excessive.
Still, most of the debate surrounding the measure centers on the Iraq War.
The House passed a troops-pullout measure last week, but with a tougher
deadline. Whereas the Senate identifies March 2008 as a goal -- giving the
president leeway to ignore the deadline -- the House voted 218-212 to
require all combat troops out as of Aug. 31, 2008.
''The United States Senate will ensure they have everything they need to
continue this fight as we have done,'' said Majority Leader Harry Reid,
D-Nev. But ''we must also ensure that our soldiers have a strategy for
success.''
The Senate will vote as early as Tuesday on a Republican amendment to strip
the withdrawal language from the bill.
''Congress should not be tying the hands of our commanders or limiting their
flexibility to respond to threats on the battlefield,'' said Sen. Thad
Cochran, R-Miss., the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee.
Sen. John McCain, a presidential contender for 2008, told reporters in
Dallas Monday that the debate is not about whether to bring troops home.
''It's a date certain for surrender, a date certain for us to tell our
enemies we're leaving and they will have their way.''
In a conference call with reporters, McConnell said the nonbinding nature of
the Senate deadline would be a distinction lost on U.S. foes and the measure
would serve as a ''memo to our enemies to let them know when they can
operate again.''
Likewise, Bush has said he will veto any measure that attempts to
micromanage the war.
''These Democrats believe that the longer they can delay funding for our
troops, the more likely they are to force me to accept restrictions on our
commanders, an artificial timetable for withdrawal and their pet spending
projects. This is not going to happen,'' Bush said last week.
Whether Republicans can prevent such a showdown between Bush and Congress is
unclear. Democratic leaders have labored to bolster support for their
proposal and their success could hinge on a single vote.
Earlier this month, the Senate rejected a similar timetable on the war with
Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas siding
with Republicans against the proposal in a 50-48 vote.
Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon was the lone Republican voting in favor of the
resolution.
Since the March 15 vote, Reid and others have made changes in hopes of
persuading Nelson and Pryor to support the withdrawal proposal. The changes
include a series of suggested goals for the Iraqi government to meet to
provide for its own security, enhance democracy and distribute its oil
wealth fairly.
Nelson said last week he agreed to support the measure because the
benchmarks ''can be used by Congress to make future decisions about U.S.
military presence in Iraq.''
Pryor remains reluctant.
''I think if the public timetable remains, Senator Pryor would likely oppose
it,'' said spokesman Michael Teague.
While most Republicans are expected to reject setting a timetable in Iraq,
the vote is likely to be a difficult one for those facing re-election next
year.
A solid majority of Americans want their representatives in Congress to
support legislation calling for a withdrawal of U.S . forces from Iraq
by August 2008.
Nearly six in 10 want their members of Congress to support such a bill, and
one-third want them to oppose it, according to a poll released Monday by the
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
