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Key Vote on the Iraq War Keeps House GOP United
House Republican leaders largely kept their party together on the issue of Iraq last night, with only four members breaking with their party to support a withdrawal of troops by April.
Reps. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) and John Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.) were the only new defectors though Duncan voted against the 2002 war authorization measure. The other two GOP members to vote with Democrats were Reps. Walter Jones (N.C.) and Wayne Gilchrest (Md.), who have consistently broken with their party on Iraq this year.
Ten Democrats, mostly conservatives, voted against the measure, which passed 223-201.
The lack of Republican defections meant the vote failed to live up to Democratic hopes to put additional pressure on President Bush on the war. That, for now, will be left to the Senate, where several Republicans have publicly broken with Bush in recent weeks and senators are to vote next week on a similar measure.
Republicans argued that Bush's "surge" policy needed more time, at least until the top commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, reports in September. But Democrats argued Congress has given Bush too free a hand for too long.
"For those who would urge we wait until September, it's been more than four years and more than half a trillion dollars," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "We have a responsibility to create a new direction."
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Congress gave Bush the money for the surge only a few weeks ago.
"Just six weeks ago Congress voted to support General Petraeus and support our troops and their mission in Iraq. The general has only had all of his reinforcements in place for about three weeks and here we are 48 days later after we passed the funding resolutions having this silly debate that means nothing," Boehner said.
The bill calls for withdrawal from Iraq to begin in 120 days and finish by April 1, 2008, leaving only enough troops to fight al Qaeda, train Iraqi troops and police and protect the troops performing those tasks.
One new argument was raised by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who supported the bill but warned against "a blind commitment to arming and training Iraqi security forces."
A recent report from a liberal group found that many Iraqis take their training and weapons to the insurgency and wind up fighting U.S. troops.
The 10 Democrats who voted no were Reps. John Barrow (Ga.), Dan Boren (Okla.), Chris Carney (Pa.), Brad Ellsworth (Ind.), Tim Holden (Pa.), Jim Marshall (Ga.), Jim Matheson (Utah), Vic Snyder (Ark.), Gene Taylor (Miss.), and Dennis Kucinich (Ohio).
House Republican leaders had expressed confidence their members would largely reject the withdrawal plan.
Boehner had criticized Republican senators who've broken with Bush as "wimps." He defended those comments yesterday, saying that he wanted to illustrate the absurdity of debating Iraq before the surge has been fully implemented.
The number of Republican defections was far below the 17 who broke with Bush on the surge vote in February.
The failure to get more Republicans this time could turn the head-scratching among war opponents in the caucus into criticism. Progressives say they had signed on to a series of votes that would gradually increase the pressure on Republicans.
By fast-forwarding to a vote on withdrawal, some Democrats fear leaders may have struck too soon and lost their advantage.
Pointing to recent poll numbers, Democratic operatives are confident that Republicans who have consistently supported the president on Iraq will regret their votes in November 2008.
The decision to have a vote on withdrawal this week was made Tuesday evening and caught many members off guard.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said the vote was moved up to coordinate with the Senate. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said leadership was "responding to the American public's deep concern that this administration has promised things for five years which have not occurred."
The House vote came as a new White House report showed mixed progress in Iraq and opened the door for renewed conflict between Senate Democrats and Republicans over the course of the war.
Seizing on the report's findings that the troop increase Bush ordered in January has not helped the Iraqi government meet key political benchmarks, Democrats pressed Republicans to join them next week in voting for an amendment by Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) to bring most troops home by next April.
"Most Republicans put protecting the president ahead of protecting our troops," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
In addition to the Levin-Reed amendment, next week will feature other controversial Iraq amendments that senators will offer to the pending defense policy bill, including one being developed by Republican Sens. John Warner (Va.) and Richard Lugar (Ind.) and another by a bipartisan coalition of 13 senators seeking to implement the recommendations of the 2006 Iraq Study Group report.
As more Republicans seem open to support the Iraq Study Group measure, Reid and other Democratic leaders signaled their opposition.
Reid is expected to file cloture early next week in an attempt to end debate on the underlying bill by week's end.
Jackie Kucinich contributed to this report.
© 2007 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp
16 Comments so far
Show AllThere must be some mistake here; Dennis Kucinich of Ohio would never vote against withdrawing the troops from Iraq asap. Please Dennis say it aint so.
10 Democrats broke rank from the party, including Kucinish?? Given the lead, this party seems to be having problems taking control of the situation. We're now reportedly spending 12 billion dollars a month in Iraq, while Americans at home scavenge garbage cans for aluminum & plastic recyclables to put food on the table!
RE: WHY KUCINICH VOTED AGAINST THE MEASURE
limburger July 13th, 2007 4:28 pm
"There must be some mistake here; Dennis Kucinich of Ohio would never vote against withdrawing the troops from Iraq asap."
FROM THE KUCINICH WEBSITE:
Kucinich: Troop Redeployment Bill Will Not End The War
The Only Way To End The War Is To Say NO To Any Additional Funding"
Washington, Jul 12 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) issued the following statement following his vote against HR 2956, the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act:
"We've lost over 3,600 of our brave service men and women. An estimated one million innocent Iraqis have perished in the war. We're now telling Iraqis, whose country the U.S. destroyed, whose reconstruction funds the U.S. mishandled, whose social networks have been shredded: Stand on your own feet! We try to steal their oil under the cover of occupation," Kucinich said in a debate on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today.
"This bill will not end the war. This bill will not end the occupation. It doesn't take a vote to end this war. We must inform the Administration that the $97 billion appropriated last month is the end of the financing for the war."
"Use the money that's in the pipeline through October 1 to bring the troops home. Compel the President to put together an international peacekeeping and security force which would move in as our troops leave."
CONT.
http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=69245
I challenge you to look at that picture and not think One or more of the following: "Phony Patriot" "A 50's throwback" "God and Country" "Psychopath" "insane" "Airhead" "Dangerous" I could go on.
Nietzsche, I agree. The guy has a "Night of the Generals" look about him.
Nietzsche July 13th, 2007 7:53 pm
"I challenge you to look at that picture and not think One or more of the following: "Phony Patriot" "A 50's throwback" "God and Country" "Psychopath" "insane" "Airhead" "Dangerous" I could go on"
He is most of the above in addition to a man who has learned to internalize the conflict he experiences with every decision he makes in opposition to his true nature. In time, he will realize that his mentally selfish attitude toward humanity will work against his own well-being. It's just a matter of time before his shield shatters and he stands naked before his mortality.
Somehow all of you that have complained so loudly about Democrats have failed to weigh in on this vote. The Democrats voted to end the war. The Republicans voted to continue the war. Who's on your side?
Why don't a few of you give the Dems a little respect for this vote? You're always right there with the criticism, but where is the praise?
Bush will veto this measure. He is your real enemy. It is the Republicans that support the war. You need to support the people on your side and make them more on your side.
I believe that positive reinforcement encourages good behavior. If you liked what your Congress did, you should tell them, so they'll do more of the same.
RE: RIGHT WING REMORSE?
Gail July 13th, 2007 9:44 pm
"In time, he will realize that his mentally selfish attitude toward humanity will work against his own well-being."
1)The extreme right is not known for remorse or self-understanding. Reformed right wingers John Dean, Arianna Huffington, and Paul Craig Roberts are exceptions that prove the rule. But suppose he's one of those exceptions...
2) ...Who cares, if he's helped destroy the well-being of humanity in the meantime?
"It's just a matter of time before his shield shatters and he stands naked before his mortality"?
Waaaay too long to wait for - way too much damage done in the meantime.
RE: YOU ARE WISE, LITTLE FINGER WAGGER
thedeed July 13th, 2007 10:58 pm
"I believe that positive reinforcement encourages good behavior. If you liked what your Congress did, you should tell them, so they'll do more of the same."
Won't you be a model of "good behavior" by posting a copy of the letter that you sent your Congressperson. Show us the proper way to express gratitude. Many, many thanks.
The posturing on these Congressional votes is infuriating. There is several votes in each direction and amendments that are intentionally made so everyone can vote on either side of the issue to pander to all the special interest groups and confuse the voters.
Most of the bills are longer than the Constitution with amendments. Of course, the Constitution is not pork laden.
RE: LEFT FAILS TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE - AND THAT GOES FOR KUCINICH TOO
thedeed July 13th, 2007 10:58 pm
"Why don't a few of you give the Dems a little respect for this vote? You're always right there with the criticism, but where is the praise?"
Yea, and that goes for Kucinich too - the nerve of his rejecting the motion as a craven, p!ss-poor half-measure that perpetuates the problem. Where's the "positive reinforcement" in that? The man should be slobbering grateful kisses on every Democrat who voted for it, not whining about its gross inadequacy and demanding Congress take action to CUT OFF FUNDING AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEFORE, AND GET THE HELL OUT NOW.
The Republican Plan: Drain America dry in a long, drawn out slog, ever pointing out that victory is just around the corner. Meanwhile exploiting, cheating and profiteering, selling our souls for that gleaming new war machine, and outsourcing jobs wherever a percentage point can be gained. After all you can never have too much wealth, power or stuff, and by God I worked for this stuff, and all those poor and lower middle class slobs, well they're just lazy good for nothing, deserve what they get. It's a dog eat dog world, and yea as we kneel at the alter of the everlasting profit, we build our permanent majority and gloat in our moral superiority, as we feel our neighbor's children inappropriately... oops, how did that slip out? Bad! bad!... (sounds of spanking) Bad! bad! (crashing sounds) exit stage right ....
Would someone in Congress or in the MSM please ask the Republicans why THEY WANT PERMANENT WAR?
I read an interview this morning where Al Maliki said that Iraq's forces can handle the countries security and that American forces can leave any time
we want to. Sooooooo
"The bill calls for withdrawal from Iraq to begin in 120 days and finish by April 1, 2008, leaving only enough troops to fight al Qaeda, train Iraqi troops and police and protect the troops performing those tasks."
Iraq has a permanent military draft. It's been at war in the desert since the 1970s. Who are we to tell them how to fight? I know who we are to tell them TO fight (yeah, you guys go fight while we just reroute those pipelines) but HOW? When our guys have trained weekends in the Natl. Guard? We have a habit of thinking we know better than anyone else and another habit to reinforce it--we ignore evidence!
DEMOCRATS: QUIT DICKING AROUND AND IMPEACH THE BASTARDS ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL YOU ARE ACCOMPLISHING NOW IS LOOKING FOOLISH AND INEFFECTIVE
OR START THINKING ABOUT YOUR NEW CAREERS IN 2008