Senate orders troops withdrawn from Iraq

[Chichiri]

Source: CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senators on Thursday followed their defiant House counterparts' lead, passing a war funding bill that sets a deadline for withdrawing combat forces from Iraq by next year.

The bill passed 51-46 and now heads to President Bush, who has vowed to veto it.

GOP Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Gordon Smith of Oregon joined Democrats in supporting the bill. Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman, who caucuses with the Democrats, voted with Republicans opposing it.

Two supporters of Bush's Iraq policy -- Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- did not vote. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, who is recovering from a brain hemorrhage, also didn't vote.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/26/congress.iraq/index.html

---

CNN now has the story.

EDITED BY ADMIN: Added text excerpt from CNN story.

[leftchick]

1. "Combat Troops"

it says nothing about the 75,000 "support troops" and 126,000 private contractors. <sigh>

[bdamomma]

2. now let's see how bushie in his defiant ways say FU to the

Troops, the Congress and the American people. This man is truly disgusting and so is the rest of his cabal. I am furious after watching the Bill Moyers documentary on line.

[maxrandb]

8. There had better be a thousand Democrats ready to smack down

each and every media and wing-nut distortion of this bill.

It needs to be screamed from the mountaintops that THIS BILL DOES FUND THE TROOPS, AND THE ONLY WAY THAT FUNDING CAN BE STOPPED IS IF THE PRESIDENT VETO'S IT.

We all need to break out our letter writing impliments and pound this to our local papers. We need to bury their propaganda machine with letters.

Letters to the editor, pointing out that IT IS THE PRESIDENT who is cutting off funding for the troops, ought to fall on editors desks like snowflakes in Maine in December.

It is the President that not only sent our troops to war without the proper equipment, but he is now cutting off their funding.

The media will spin this as Democrats not supporting the troops. We must not allow that bogus argument to stand.

[INdemo]

18. Its a nice thought but millions of letters will not stop the media from

calling this the surrender bill..However With the majority of Americans now siding with the Democrats we have a chance and the media spin just wont have that much of an effect..Bush will eventually sign a funding bill with strings attached but the Democrats must stand their ground.

[maxrandb]

3. This is Great!

But apparently, "Holy Joe" wrote an opinion piece for one of the papers that the radio wing-nuts are using to "bash" Democrats.

Guess we can always count on Joe to provide cover. Wonder if he agrees with Rudy Guiliani?

I'm sure Sean Insanity will have him on this afternoon.

[onehandle]

4. Now smirk can Veto support for the troops.

The traitor.

[Triana]

30. Exactly...LET HIM veto funding for the troops...

....then Dems can poke him with THAT for a while. The little turd has had a free ride and no opposition for TOO LONG and our troops have paid with their LIVES - far, far too many of them - because of it. It's time to STOP the genocide in Iraq and stop sending our troops into a killing machine in a war based on LIES that cannot be won militarily.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. This is going to piss off jr!

[rodeodance]

6. umm that is quite a declarative headline.

[endarkenment]

7. It is not binding. nt.

[Roland99]

9. Who are the missing two? I assume Johnson is still out?

[Skinner]

12. From the CNN article

Two supporters of Bush's Iraq policy -- Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- did not vote. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, who is recovering from a brain hemorrhage, also didn't vote.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/26/congress.iraq/index.html

[Roland99]

17. Guess McWhore doesn't care one way or another for our troops.

[sdfernando]

19. He made sure he couldn't vote on this...

I'm positive the McCain made sure he would not be around to vote on this. He can't vote for or against without pissing voters off, so he took the safest (chickensh*t route).

[badgerpup]

35. Oh, now THAT'S the kind of person I want for my president...

...a guy who makes a habit of ducking any really controversial stuff.
Just another way to avoid being held accountable for anything...
MAJOR:sarcasm:

This isn't the first time he's ducked a controversial vote either...

edit for clarity

[EVDebs]

10. * veto = impeachment proceedings

[wreckhead]

11. i truly hope so..

..but I've been disappointed so much in the past :shrug:

[Bicoastal]

13. Why didn't McPain and Graham Cracker vote?

Just curious....

[Doctor_J]

14. they were out shopping in Baghdad

couldn't make it back for the vote.

[cqo_000]

15. non-binding withdrawal dates will not deter Bush from staying the course. n/t

[TwilightGardener]

24. Why go on record? It means you're accountable, and who wants that?

[Beetwasher]

16. Congress Should MAKE BUSH VETO THIS BILL EVERY FEW WEEKS

They should keep sending it to him and keep making him veto it right up until the '08 elections. I'm not kidding.

[razzleberry]

20. force Bush to veto everything

all legislation should have the deadline,
as a rider

[Triana]

31. Excellent idea....

...stop funding this major screw-up of Georgie's and bring them HOME NOW.

[Straight Shooter]

21. Senator Smith's mailbox is full.

I called to thank him, and ended up going to his web site instead to send an e-mail.

Please contact him and offer your thanks and support. He's really sticking his neck out to do the right thing. I'm waiting for the right-wing smears against him to begin ...

http://gsmith.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home

Craven McCain doesn't know what to do, oh, boo-hoo, he can't figure out which way the wind is blowing.

[Tekla West]

22. so the straight talk express

can't stop for a straight up and down vote. What a clown. Get him to the circus. Opps, he's there.

[TwilightGardener]

23. Thank Hagel too, guys, while you're at it--he's another one that

sticks his neck out to do the right thing, and catches lots of crap for it. We as Dems have got to encourage GOPers who do the right thing.

[MissB]

25. It is nice that he did the right thing, but I think it is a stretch to say

he is sticking his neck out. Oregon democrats don't much like the guy.

[TwilightGardener]

26. I don't know what the situation is in Oregon, but I can't believe

he won't face some kind of pressure for his vote from the GOP in his state.

[Pastiche423]

27. No, we don't like him

But we do realize Gordo is up for re-election in '08, which explains some of his recent votes.

[TwilightGardener]

28. Y'all are TOUGH! LOL! Well, I like Gordo, just for his vote--and who

knows, maybe he's actually voting his conscience?

[Pastiche423]

32. Voting his conscience?

In August 2002, Little Lord Pissy Pants went to Portland to campaign for Gordo at the Hilton.

A crowd of about 8,000 had come to protest. The cops and SS were not prepared for such a number. The SS moved Little Lord Pissy Pants to a different vehicle and took him to a side door entrance.

Outside the hotel the riot police shot rubber bullets into the crowd. At the same time other cops sprayed a ten month old baby, his 3 year old sister and their mother w/pepperspray. THEN they refused to allow the family to go to the ER. (Hours later the family made it to the ER.)

It made the front page of the Oregonian, which I still have.

In the almost seven years that I have lived in Oregon, my Rep Pete DeFazio and Dem Senator Wyden have held town meetings in my small town. Never once has Gordo visited.

[TwilightGardener]

33. Yikes! Ok , I concede that he doesn't sound all that swell--still, he and Hagel

put us over the top twice--we wouldn't be having this "showdown" at all if not for them, so I'll take what I can get, even if he's a shiftless weasel!

[MissB]

29. Exactly.

I don't give him much credit at all.

[zanne]

34. I'm so proud of us!

Let's give ourselves a pat on the back for being part of the good fight!