Senate at an Impasse on Iraq Withdrawal

SEN. JAMES WEBB (D), Virginia: We are asking our men and women in uniform to bear a disproportionate sacrifice as the result of these multiple extended combat deployments with inadequate time at home. We owe them greater predictability.

KWAME HOLMAN: But Webb attracted only 56 votes, even losing the previous support of fellow Virginian Republican John Warner.

SEN. JOHN WARNER (R), Virginia: So I, in no way, in any way, denigrate what Senator Webb is trying to do. It's just that we have an honest difference of opinion, and mine based on basically the same facts that have been given to him. He has a different analysis than do I.

KWAME HOLMAN: The vote on Webb signaled doom for an even longer-shot amendment offered yesterday by Wisconsin's Russ Feingold that would have cut off funding for combat missions in Iraq by June 30th.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), Wisconsin: Now, once again, it is up to us here in Congress to reverse this president's intractable policy, to listen to the American people, to save American lives, and to protect our nation's security by redeploying our troops from Iraq. We have the power and the responsibility to act, and we must act now.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), Arizona: Madam President, I rise to oppose the amendment offered by my good friend from Wisconsin, and I would prefer to be discussing other reform issues with him than this one, but this is an important amendment, and we must not send our country down this disastrous course. All of us all of us want our troops to come home, and to come home as soon as possible, but we should want our soldiers to return to us with honor, the honor of victory that is due all of those who have paid with the ultimate sacrifice.

By this morning, Senator Levin could only hope for a better showing for his amendment, one mandating combat troop withdrawals begin within 90 days and be completed within nine months.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), Michigan: The president has a dozen times said the American people need to be patient. It's the opposite message which has a chance of working to the Iraqi leaders, that we are mighty impatient here in America. We're impatient with the dawdling of the political leaders in Iraq who are the only ones that can achieve a political settlement. We cannot impose that on them; only they can reach it.

KWAME HOLMAN: South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham argued that the opposite was true.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), South Carolina: There is no evidence to suggest that reconciliation would be enhanced by rejecting Petraeus and adopting the Congress's plan for Iraq, quite the opposite. I think all of the evidence we have before us is that a smaller military footprint, where you're training and fighting behind walls, empowers the enemy. If we adopted this resolution, the security gains we've achieved, I believe, would be lost.

KWAME HOLMAN: The Senate split 47-47 on that argument, defeating the Levin amendment. Levin says he'll consider removing the mandates in his amendment in favor of goals, in hopes of rounding up more Republican votes next week.