Senate Democrats fail to break GOP block of Iraq resolution

WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans for a second time blocked a symbolic attempt by Democrats to reject President Bush's troop escalation plan yesterday, but GOP defections were higher than before, suggesting cracks in the Republican ranks as the Iraq war debate dominates the agenda in Congress.

The 56-34 result fell four votes shy of the 60 required to allow debate on a nonbinding resolution, which was passed by the House on Friday, expressing support for the troops but critical of Bush's decision to expand combat ranks by more than 20,000 troops.

Senate Democrats picked up five new Republican allies in their effort to advance the resolution, bringing the GOP total to seven.

But the future of the resolution is in doubt. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, announced after the vote that he would not bring up the resolution again. Both sides instead are girding for the next phase, a confrontation over war funding, with some Democrats determined to exercise the power of the purse to influence Iraq strategy.

As Congress struggles to find its voice in the Iraq debate, the administration intensified its campaign to persuade the American public that the conflict remains winnable. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during a visit to Baghdad yesterday, said the escalation of troops was bringing "new hope" to the city.

The optimistic pronouncement appeared to have little impact on the Senate floor, where a rare Saturday session made for a dramatic political tableau. Presidential candidates jetted in from various primary states to cast their vote. They didn't all show. One of the 10 absentees was Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, a supporter of the troop escalation plan, who was campaigning in Iowa.

All but one of the Senate's Democrats were seated at their desks when the roll call began shortly before 2 p.m. The only absentee was Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota, who is recovering from brain surgery.

Two Democratic senators, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Max Baucus of Montana, canceled plans to visit Iraq this weekend. Their traveling companions, GOP Senators Jon Kyl of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee, went ahead with the trip.

The resolution passed the House on Friday with modest Republican support.

"Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq," the resolution states. But, it adds, "Congress disapproves of the decision . . . to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq."

Reid said he would not try a third time to put the Senate on record against the escalation. But he said the Iraq debate would continue when the Senate returns Feb. 26 from a week-long recess, and turns to legislation to enact security recommendations from the Sept. 11 Commission.

Reid promised that both sides would be allowed to offer Iraq-related amendments to the bill. And Congress will soon debate Bush's request for $100 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the current fiscal year.

In the House, Democrats are moving to fully fund the president's war request, but under the condition that the administration follow strict standards for training and equipping troops.

Democrats believe they are playing a strong hand in the Iraq debate. Polls show most voters oppose an increase in troop levels, and the GOP's heavy losses in the November election were widely interpreted as a call for more aggressive vetting of Bush's Iraq strategy.

"Today the Republican allies of President Bush stood in the way of democracy," Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts said after yesterday's vote. "By preventing the Senate from voting up or down on a bad idea, the majority of the Republicans are placing politics ahead of the will of the American people, who have already said they do not support" the war in Iraq.

Several Republicans contended that voicing support for the troops and denying funding for them was inconsistent. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the chamber's minority leader, said yesterday that the House had passed a "nonsensical proposition" that asserted support of US troops while disapproving of their mission.

As soon as Bush announced the escalation last month, Democratic leaders began considering ways to officially register an objection. Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, agreed to begin work on a nonbinding resolution, believing it was the easiest vote politically, including for Republicans.

But in the Senate, Republicans decided to offer their own nonbinding measure, which asserted that Congress wouldn't cut off troop funding. Some antiwar Democrats want to target Pentagon spending as a way to force a withdrawal of troops.

Reid refused to allow a vote on the GOP measure, saying he wanted to keep the debate focused on the escalation. Republicans have twice voted this month to block the resolution, on grounds that Reid wasn't playing fair.

In spirited floor speeches, Democrats taunted their GOP colleagues for putting up procedural hurdles to protect Bush from a potentially embarrassing repudiation. But Republicans said that Democrats were hiding behind the Senate rulebook for fear of confronting the funding question.

"The reason we're here on a Saturday playing stupid political games while people are off in Iraq trying to win this war is because our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are afraid to take a vote on cutting off funding," said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina.

Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.