« Full lots didn't stop RIPTA beach buses | Today | Today's front page »

July 9, 2007

Update: Reed key player in Senate debate on Iraq

WASHINGTON -- The Senate reopened the emotional debate on the war in Iraq today in an atmosphere of suspense about whether the rising tide of bipartisan discontent has grown strong enough to force a strategic change of course on President Bush.

Key Senate Republicans, including some longtime supporters of the war, have indicated in recent days that they may support legislation to shift to a more modest mission in Iraq -- even before U.S. commanders report next month on the effectiveness of the surge strategy that Mr. Bush ordered early this year.

It’s not clear, however, that any measure mandating troop withdrawals can win enough votes to become law over the president’s veto.

"The tide is turning," Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, told reporters as debate began on the 2008 defense authorization bill, a budget and policy blueprint that Democratic leadership will use as a vehicle for amendments to impose troop withdrawals and other changes on the White House. "I think the president needs to recognize it and heed the call," Snowe added. "Obviously, the surge has not worked."

Snowe said it is "very possible" that she and other Republicans will support a centerpiece of this week’s Democratic push for a new war policy, an amendment requiring troop withdrawals to begin within 120 days, with the goal of sharp force reductions by next spring.

The authors of that plan are Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.

Reed, just back from a weekend tour of Iraq, said he and Levin are negotiating with leading Republican skeptics of the surge to settle on language that might muster a veto-proof majority of 60 votes. "People across the country off all political persuasions want to change the policy now," said Reed.

This afternoon in Washington, Reed gave a press briefing on his findings from his 10th war-time trip to Iraq. See a video report here.

But White House press secretary Tony Snow said Mr. Bush will continue to resist legislation that would force troop withdrawals.

Snow criticized Senate Democrats for taking steps to change course before the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, reports in September on the results thus far from the surge strategy of adding U.S. troops in order to improve the security of Baghdad.

-- John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 6:22 PM | Permalink

Comments

Post a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)