All-Night Iraq Debate Brings Little Change

Republicans Continue Filibuster Of Democratic-Led Legislation On U.S. Troop Withdrawal

(CBS/AP)  Senate Republicans mustered enough votes to scuttle a proposed U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, defeating legislation ordering U.S. troops home from Iraq and forcing Democrats back to the drawing board in their bid to end the war.

The 52-47 vote fell short of the 60 votes needed to cut off debate under Senate rules. It was a sound defeat for Democrats who say the U.S. military campaign, in its fifth year and requiring 158,000 troops, cannot tame the sectarian violence in Iraq.

"The amendment tells our enemies when they can take over in Iraq," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss, a Republican.

The bill "is the wrong approach at the wrong time," he added.

The Senate debated the protracted war in Iraq in an all-night session. The speech-making marathon was in anticipation of Wednesday's vote on legislation that orders troop withdrawals within 120 days.

"We have to get us out of a middle of a civil war" said Sen. Joseph Biden. A political solution must be found "so when we leave Iraq, we don't just send our children home, we don't have to send our grandchildren back."

The legislation, initiated by Sens. Carl Levin and Jack Reed, both Democrats, would require President Bush to begin pulling troops out of Iraq in 120 days. After April 30, an unspecified number of troops would be allowed to remain in Iraq to fight terrorists, protect U.S. assets and train Iraqi security forces.

Before the vote, the Senate stopped for a prayer because as Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid explained, "If there was ever a time for a prayer it would be before this very important vote," CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss reported.

Most senators got a chance for a few hours of sleep even while a handful of their colleagues took turns droning on through the night with floor speeches.

The "live" audience for the speeches was sparse, however, and there was no indication how aggressive the sergeant-at-arms was being in carrying out his official instructions to keep members near the chamber — or whether he was insisting that they be awake.

"It pretty much widened the partisan divide," CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer said of the debate, adding that Democrats and Republicans are "talking past each other."

With a half-dozen spectators watching from the gallery, Republican and Democrats were among those speaking during the night, including presidential candidates John McCain and Hillary Clinton.

"All we have achieved are remarkably similar newspaper accounts of our inflated sense of the drama of this display and our own temporary physical fatigue," said McCain, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee.

Republicans were mostly unified in their opposition to setting a deadline for troop withdrawals, with a few exceptions. Three Republicans — Sens. Gordon Smith, Olympia Snowe and Chuck Hagel — announced previously they would support the measure.

Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, who is up for re-election next year, also voted to advance the bill. Spokesman Kevin Kelley said Collins believes the measure should be subject to a simple majority vote and not the 60 votes needed to end parliamentary delaying tactics. Kelley said the senator still opposes the legislation.

Other Republican members, while uneasy about the war, said they could not support legislation that would force Mr. Bush to adhere to a firm pullout date.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice planned to spend most of Wednesday in Congress lobbying lawmakers on Mr. Bush's Iraq policy, a senior State Department official said.

Rice's plans included spending up to five hours in the morning and early afternoon in group and private meetings in both the Senate and House. The focus would be Iraq and other foreign policy issues, including the Middle East, the official said.

Among lawmakers scheduled to meet with Rice were Biden, Smith, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio.

While the issue was momentous — a war more than four years in duration, costing more than 3,600 U.S. troops their lives as well as many thousands of Iraqis — the proceedings were thick with politics.

MoveOn.org, the anti-war group, announced plans for more than 130 events around the United States to coincide with the Senate debate, part of an effort to pressure Republicans into allowing a final vote on the legislation. A candlelight vigil and rally across the street from the Capitol building was prominent among them, with House leader, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among those attending.

[lars008-2009]

SIGN THE PETITIONS!!!

help end fascist nazi terrorislam apartheid
http://new.petitiononline.com/CDHR2005/petition.html
http://new.petitiononline.com/CDHREU/petition.html
http://www.dhimmi.com/petition.htm
http://www.petitiononline.com/dhimmi/petition.html
http://www.dhimmi.com/action_campus.htm
http://www.dhimmi.com/action_community.htm

[fascistusa]

The American/Israelie Elite DO NOT want change.

Therefore, NO CHANGE. We The People have NO SAY in our Government.

Lord Bush and KING Cheney are Planning 9/11 Part 2: The American Empire Strikes Back.

America is a FASCIST NATION. BUSH DID 9/11. Jesus is a SUN GOD. The American/Israeli Elite RULE EVERYTHING. ZEITGEISTmovie.com

[earthian-2009]

Katie,

The US Congress can vote against the Iraqi War all they wish.

It will not work.

What Congress is doing amounts to a Legislative Veto and the Legislative Veto is unconstitutional in America according to the US Supreme Court.

Any attempt by Congress to end the war by withdrawal will fail.

The Whitehouse knows this.

This war can be won, but not the way they are doing it.

[fascistusa]

The American/Israelie Elite DO NOT want change.

Therefore, NO CHANGE. We The People have NO SAY in our Government.

Lord Bush and KING Cheney are Planning 9/11 Part 2: The American Empire Strikes Back.

America is a FASCIST NATION. BUSH DID 9/11. Jesus is a SUN GOD. The American/Israeli Elite RULE EVERYTHING. ZEITGEISTmovie.com

[radiob-2009]

Thanks, Radiob.

It seems to me detonating a car bomb on 5th Avenue in NYC at high noon would have a fairly devastating impact.

Or, for that matter, any similar street in any American city.
Posted by tuckerndfw


One of the biggest misconceptions about a attack on the US by terrorist is that it has to be equal to 9-11 to have the same pyschological effect. As in your example soft targets used selectively at the right time of day would have almost the same effect as 9-11.

[seven-pesos]

never a war the south couldn't lose.

jefferson davis lost his,
johnson lost his
bush will lose his.

the south has lost every war they started.

idiot southern creeps are only good for sunday afternoon parades

in their tight-butt uniforms.

ha,ha,ha.

war, division, arrogance, phony christian creeps, crooked republican snakes...

nothing good comes out of the south!

[jt92202]

Seven Pesos- By your words - nothing comes good comes from the south Including CLINTON!! Demo's should really hate you!!!

YOUR A MORON!! Stereotyping people is not polite nor is it PC!! Your the kind of person that makes me ill!!

[seven-pesos]

they kicked that cheerleading, ******* creep, bush, out of the north...

so bush moved to the south and became a big man.

rednecks, reborns, war makers, christian creeps, arrogant slave state republican snakes...

bush's kind of people!

yep, the south elected bush, the south supports bush, the south loves bush.

war, hate, slimy christian hypocrite creeps!

nothing good comes out of the south!

[jt92202]

seven-pesos -

Last president not from the South would be G. Bush sr. Raised in Conn but moved to TX after the service. Then Reagan from Illinois but lived in CA after he grew up. Then Ford from Michigan. Nixon from CA (one of the most crooked politicians ever). My point it doesn't matter where they come from, crooks and bad presidents can come from anywhere in the country.

If you continue to say nothing good comes from the south then it's not just the Republican your talking about but also the demo savior Clinton because he's from Arkansas.

Think about it!!

[seven-pesos]

the south murdered john f. kennedy.

the south murdered abraham lincoln.

now, bush and his southern supporters are murdering 100's of 1000's in the middle east.

way to go, bush.

way to go, southerners.

i wipe my azz on the confederate flag.

war, hate, christian creeps, republican snakes...

nothing good comes out of the south.

[jjp735i]

"All-Night Iraq Debate Brings Little Change"

Did anyone really believe it would?

[jt92202]

seven-pesos - Last president that didn't come out of the south???

[seven-pesos]

history shows what happens when southerners get the power in america.

the south has a dark and sordid past.

bush is just the latest chapter to come out of that most militaristic and extremist region of america.

the south never does good for america.

always war, hate, phony christian creeps and crooked republican snakes.

ha,ha,ha.

that's the south for you, folks!

[tuckerndfw]

We never should have gone there; however, we did so we have an obligation to not abandon the real Iraqi people. They did not ask for this.

Posted by scottyusa at 05:00 PM : Jul 18, 2007

Very few people are demanding or expecting all US soldiers to be withdrawn, including me.

What I am demanding (like anyone cares) is that US forces stop being used as policemen. Iraq has more than enough people to provide their own police forces. It does not take years to train some guy to walk up and down a street waiting to be blown up.

The US military is not trained nor equipped to be policemen in Iraq or anywhere else. They should be confined to their fortified compounds and only used to protect civil affairs personnel involved in the actual reconstruction of Iraq. Or, providing assistance to Iraqis when requested to do so.

They should not be protecting the Iraqi "government." Nor should US taxpayers being paying mercenaries to do so.

Iraq belongs to Iraqis, not Americans.

[jt92202]

seven-pesos - by your name you came out of the south - South of the Border!!

[seven-pesos]

somebody give me a joint!...

'cause i'm getting awful sick of these republican, christian creeps.

ho's, drugs, homos, child predators...

swaggart, foley, haggard, vitter...

all fine, upstanding, christian republican southerners...

only snakes come out of the bush loving south.

slave state, dixie republican, christian snakes.

ha,ha,ha.

nothing good comes out of the south.

[tuckerndfw]

Can anyone explain why Israel has not sent troops to Afghanistan or Iraq?

Israel is the primary beneficiary of the "war on terror", so why isn't Israel doing anyting to help?

As a matter of fact, immediately following 9/11/01, Ariel Sharon ran to Washington and demanded over 20 billion dollars in grants, loans and loan guarantees. Why did we give Israel our money when we are fighting their fight?

Israel doesn't seem to be much of an ally. For $20 billion, we can buy lots of "allies." Including that staunch "ally" Pervez Musharraf, military dictator of Pakistan. He only cost $10 billion, but he is at least providing troops (sort of).

[jdubs63]

ICEMAN_1960.................THANKS for the education today

[seven-pesos]

i'd rather die as a muslim and get 72 virgins

than die as a christian and have to spend eternity with jerry falwell, pat robertson and jerry swaggart...

faith professing, bible thumping, bush loving dixie snakes.

ha,ha,ha.

war, hate, phony christian snakes, republican creeps...

nothing good comes out of the south.

[tuckerndfw]

Can anyone explain how having US soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan is preventing anyone, Islamic extremist or otherwise, from detonating a car bomb at your local shopping center, school or anywhere else in your neighborhood?

And, if you can't, can you explain why you claim George Bush is "protecting Americans"?

Or, for that matter, why you think the "war on terror" is "keeping you safe"?

Thanks.