WASHINGTON — JULY 18— "It is an outrage that after an all-night session, with every senator having an opportunity to participate in the debate, the Republican minority still is blocking a Senate vote on the war," said NOW President Kim Gandy.

In a 52-47 vote, the Senate failed to end debate and proceed to a vote on the Levin-Reed amendment which called for a gradual withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq. The vote fell short of the 60 votes necessary to end the filibuster imposed by the Republicans. The vote allowed President Bush to "stay the course" in his failed Iraq policy with no end in sight. The overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. want to bring the troops home, yet today the vast majority of Republican senators voted to continue President Bush's war.

"This is a vote to continue the killing," said Gandy. "Republican senators voted to continue to spend billions of dollars of our nation's treasury, now estimated to be in excess of $600 billion dollars, on an illegal and unjust war in Iraq, ensuring that funding for critical domestic programs such as health care for all, pre-kindergarten, affordable college, and affordable housing is simply not available."

NOW thanks those courageous senators who voted the right way and calls on the champions of peace and justice in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to continue their fight to end the war using every tactic available. We call on people of good will to raise your voice louder, rally your communities, and let those who voted to continue the war know that we will remember in November of 2008!

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