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Home Front: Politix
Senate Rejects U.S. Troop Pullout in Iraq
2006-06-15
This was a show vote, debate will occur next week and then they'll have another vote. But it doesn't look good for the anti-war, pull-out-now crowd. Cindy Sheehan must be crying in her beer.

Note: the link also has a big chunk about the House debate; I snipped that to focus on the Senate since the House story is ping-pong (back and forth) right now.
WASHINGTON -- The Senate rejected a call for the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq by year's end on Thursday as Congress erupted in impassioned, election-year debate over a conflict that now has claimed the lives of 2,500 American troops.

The vote was 93-6 to shelve the proposal, which would have allowed "only forces that are critical to completing the mission of standing up Iraqi security forces" to remain in 2007.

The vote came alongside a daylong debate in the House, where Republicans defended the war as key to winning the global struggle against terrorism while Democrats excoriated President Bush and his policies.

The Senate voted unfolded unexpectedly as the second-ranking leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., introduced legislation he said was taken from a proposal by Sen. John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat and war critic. It called for Bush to agree with the Iraqi government on a schedule for withdrawal of combat troops by Dec. 31, 2006.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said if the United States withdrew, "I am absolutely convinced the terrorists would see this as vindication." He predicted terrorism would spread around the world, and eventually reach the United States.

Democrats sought to curtail floor debate on the proposal, and the vote occurred quickly. Kerry and other Democrats accused Republicans of political gamesmanship, and promised an authentic debate next week. He and five other Democrats were in the minority on the vote _ Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Barbara Boxer of California, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Tom Harkin of Iowa, and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.
I hope the Repubs play Sen. Byrd's (D-KKK) vote throughout West Virginia. Can't help him any at all for his re-election. Six votes? That all? Heh.
Posted by:Steve White

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