Senate Foes Of Bush Iraq Plan Team Up

(CBS/AP)  Two senators leading separate efforts to put Congress on record against President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq joined forces Wednesday, agreeing on a nonbinding resolution that would criticize the plan.

Sens. John Warner, R-Va., and Carl Levin, D-Mich., had been sponsoring competing measures opposing Mr. Bush's strategy of sending 21,500 more U.S. troops to the war zone, with Warner's less harshly worded version attracting more Republican interest. The new resolution would vow to protect funding for troops while keeping Warner's original language expressing the Senate's opposition to the troop buildup.

The resolution could well gain more support from members of both parties than Levin's and Warner's separate versions had been attracting. It lacks Levin's language saying the troop increase is against the national interest, and it drops an earlier provision by Warner suggesting Senate support for some additional troops.

It also is likely to pose a threat to the White House because of its potential appeal to Republicans who have grown tired of the nearly four-year war and want a chance to express their concerns. The White House has been hoping to avoid an overwhelming congressional vote criticizing Bush's handling of the war.

"It's been a hard work in progress," Warner said of his resolution, which has been struggling to win support of 60 senators so as to prevent a filibuster.

The agreement comes as several leading Republicans who support the troop buildup said they will give the administration and the Iraqis about six months to show significant improvement. Many other Republicans say they are deeply skeptical additional troops in Iraq, rather than a political settlement, would help calm the sectarian violence.

The widely unpopular war has led to the deaths of more than 3,000 U.S. troops and is blamed for GOP losses in the Nov. 7 elections that handed control of Congress to the Democrats.

Senate debate on the new resolution, and several proposed by other senators, is likely to begin next week.

The House previously had planned on waiting for the Senate to vote first as a way of testing the waters for Republican support of such a resolution. But according to a Democratic aide, the House will begin the process next week with a committee review. That would set the stage for a House floor debate the week of Feb. 12.

Warner, a prominent Republican and former chairman of the Armed Services Committee, had attracted at least seven other Republicans who were inclined to vote for his resolution. Scrambling to find additional support, Warner added language proposed by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., that would protect funding for troops.

As of late Wednesday, Gregg had not said whether he would support the revised resolution.

"Colleagues have come up to me and said, 'Can you assure me that this doesn't provide a cutoff of funds?"' Warner said.

It appears the original Iraq resolution, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Joe Biden and endorsed by Republican Chuck Hagel, is losing steam, CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports. It expresses symbolic opposition to the president's troop increase.

"It's dead, politically," said one Republican source.

[KOOLSTUF]

Most politicians -- or at least those facing 2008
elections -- fear being accused of undermining
support for our heros over there, by threatening to cut funding. (How, by stopping the supply of
ammo and replacements of hardware blown up -- or by shutting off payrolls ???!!!)

Here's one easy solution, certain to be pleasing to the troops and their loved ones, who've been
repeatedly lied to, of frequency and lengths of
deployment:

Congress need only pass a law that retroactively forces the Pentagon to reduce both the number and lengths of deployments, by demanding it must fully comply with its employment contracts.

This would cause expedited withdrawals. And the time needed to get new recruits ready for combat against insurgents would require postponing this
totally inadequate hare-brained scheme.

Meanwhile, the next few months will clearly prove
Iraq leadership can't stop the civil war -- with or without the U.S. and its reluctant allies !!!

That reality will strip away arguments by Bush and even Cheney against use of diplomacy and locking down borders to stop the flow of weapons
and those carrying them.

Democracies, Christians, Jews, and those of other religious beliefs will never resolve the centuries-old conflicts among Muslims -- all we collectively can do is support the moderates in quashing extremist dogma. That can't happen till
the next two generations are persuaded brutal tactics will never prevail.

[j-whitman]

And Folks, Once again Bush lies to Amreicans & our Troops -
- His Troop Surge Numbers FAILED to mention Support Troops necessary
- White House answer - Additional support will come from the troops already there.
SOMEONE PUT THESE LYING ******* IDIOTS IN UNIFORM
THAT CUT'S "SUPPORT FOR THE TROOPS"

[consciousnes]

What are they waiting for? Lets get it overwith so the media can find something else to write about.

[j-whitman]

Now Republicans are saying "No, I was for the war before I was against the war, Before you where against it" -- LOL

[bluestardad]

I have the totally unbelievable stupidshit craziest thing I have just seen and heard with my own eyes and ears!

On CSPAN General Casey Jr. just told Senator Warner of the Senate Armed Services Committee that he was not aware of any War Gaming for the New Iraqi Surge Plan! He was unaware if the plan had even been tried on Paper! This General is suppose to be the General in Charge of the Iraq War! General Casey is under consideration for the Chief of Staff of the Army and he is not aware if the Iraq Surge Plan we are debating had ever been War Gamed to determine plausibility, probability of Success, or any type of Course of Action Analysis has been done to determine a possible acceptable outcome! He should be drummed from the service as this is total dereliction of Duty. To Send 21,000 more troops to a war where the plan had never been analyzed for success to his knowledge is Criminal Negligence! Who would send a soldier in to war plan without ever War Gaming the Scenario first?

[bluestardad]

On CSPAN General Casey Jr. just told Senator Warner of the Senate Armed Services Committee that he was not aware of any War Gaming for the New Iraqi Surge Plan! He was unaware if the plan had even been tried on Paper! This General is suppose to be the General in Charge of the Iraq War! General Casey is under consideration for the Chief of Staff of the Army and he is not aware if the Iraq Surge Plan we are debating had ever been War Gamed to determine plausibility, probability of Success, or any type of Course of Action Analysis has been done to determine a possible acceptable outcome! He should be drummed from the service as this is total dereliction of Duty. To Send 21,000 more troops to a war where the plan had never been analyzed for success to his knowledge is Criminal Negligence! Who would send a soldier in to war plan without ever War Gaming the Scenario first?

[randalds]

Senator Carl Levin is one of the most under-rated Senators of our time. Wise, thoughtful, intelligent and moderate. Why the democrats don't talk him into running for president is beyond belief. It sure would be nice to have an intelligent person as president again, instead of the babbling buffoon there now!

[ekucrew]

It figures that Bush and Cheney would ignore anything coming from Sen. John Warner .... a REAL combat vet who served twice!

George and ***'s biggest blunder was ignoring the advice of a great warrior, General Eric Shinseki. Now everything Shinseki warned would happen has happened!

[bluestardad]

Now will they impeach the chimp and shooter?

[oleander8]

This is a farce. The Democrats have been elected to a majority in congress and it is business as usual. I'm SO disappointed.