Long Night Over, Withdrawal Measure Falls Short
The Democratic effort to move toward final passage of an measure to bring home most troops from Iraq failed to clear the 60-vote hurdle, as just four Republicans crossed party lines to vote in favor of the Levin-Reed withdrawal plan.
Those Republicans were Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), locked in what is expected to be a tough 2008 re-election battle; Chuck Hagel (Neb.), a Vietnam war veteran who's been one of the most outspoken GOP critics of President Bush's handling of Iraq; Gordon Smith (Ore.), who publicly broke with Bush after the 2006 elections and has voted with Democrats on almost every war issue this year; and Olympia Snowe (Maine), the centrist who broke from Bush's war policy last week.
In a rare move attempting to show the solemnity of the moment, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) required that senators cast their votes from their actual seats. Just before the vote was called, a guest chaplain officially re-started today's new session -- ending the more than 24-hour session that had begun yesterday morning -- with a prayer. "If ever there were a time for a prayer, it would be now," Reid declared.
Democratic prayers weren't answered. The final tally was 52-47 in support of moving forward on the bill, but there were really 53 'aye' votes as Reid switched his vote to no because of parliamentary rules that grant senators on the losing side special privileges in order to call that issue back up to the floor without having to clear procedural hurdles.
"We spent two days showing America we will not back down," Reid declared. But he then withdrew consideration of the underlying bill, which authorized the Pentagon's 2008 budget, suspending further consideration of Iraq-related bills for now.
In session since 10 a.m. yesterday, the chamber stayed open all day, evening, night and morning in a Democratic effort to highlight GOP reluctance to support the strongest withdrawal language possible. Many Republicans have openly criticized Bush's handling of the war, with numerous alternatives now being offered from senior Republicans such as Sens. John Warner (Va.), Richard Lugar (Ind.) and Pete Domenici (N.M.). However, as the debate drew on, with Republicans accusing Democrats of a publicity stunt, GOP senators appeared to solidify in their positions against supporting the Democratic plan.
Capitol Briefing has been on hand since yesterday morning for the debate, although at 2 a.m. this blog decamped to a secure location otherwise known as a Capitol Hill apartment for a three-hour power nap. Here are some highlights from the wee-hours-of-the-morning debate, as well as the run up to the final vote:
• If media attention is what the Democrats were after, they succeeded. At 7 a.m. this morning all three network morning news shows had the Senate debate as one of its top two stories. The Washington Post ran a story co-written by Shailagh Murray and me on A1, the New York Times ran its story on A1, above the fold.
• Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), who caucuses with Democrats, was the only vote from Reid's side of the aisle to support Bush.
• Because interest was so high on both sides to speak, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was delayed him till after 10 a.m. -- well past the preferred 7 a.m. slot covered by all the morning shows. But don't feel bad for Obama, his fallback was a satellite, one-on-one interview with NBC "Today Show" anchor Matt Lauer, watched probably by several million viewers more than usually watch C-SPAN 2.
• In Obama's stead, freshmen Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) was on the floor speaking at precisely 7 a.m, getting his mug on at least one of the morning shows that went with a live shot of the debate as the newscast came on.
• There were three different quorum-call votes during the round-the-clock debate -- and there were diminishing returns the later the votes occurred. The first came at 8:30 p.m., at which 91 senators showed up; the second vote, at midnight, drew just 78 senators; and the final quorum call, after 5 a.m., drew 60 senators. Two of the three votes brought majorities in favor of instructing the sergeant-at-arms to arrest absent senators, but, well, that didn't happen.
• Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), after missing eight out of nine votes last week when he went into seclusion once he admitted a connection to an escort service, made it to every quorum call.
By Paul Kane |
July 18, 2007; 1:45 PM ET
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Posted by: rfayhallock | July 18, 2007 2:47 PM
I am not sure what the purpose was here except grandstanding. While some may feel it is noble to fight a fight you can't win, the reality of it is that Congress is not during what they are paid to do. Turn the cameras off and see how many then feel the need to speak. I am disgusted with both parties and very concerned with the direction they are taking of polarizing the country. God take pity on the US if the people in office are the best we have!
Posted by: Larry | July 18, 2007 2:58 PM
I am not sure what the purpose was here except grandstanding. While some may feel it is noble to fight a fight you can't win, the reality of it is that Congress is not during what they are paid to do. Turn the cameras off and see how many then feel the need to speak. I am disgusted with both parties and very concerned with the direction they are taking of polarizing the country. God take pity on the US if the people in office are the best we have!
Posted by: Larry | July 18, 2007 3:00 PM
Ah, Larry, if you think this was a Republican victory, you have not accurately gaged the national mood.
Posted by: DCDemocrat | July 18, 2007 3:30 PM
Excuse me Larry, but working through the night in an attempt to win over those who are blindly following a pathetic policy of Dubya is exactly what we pay them for. they are'nt paid to assume they're going to lose, but to persuade in an attempt to win. Wake up. This is America.
Posted by: Gharza | July 18, 2007 3:34 PM
Excuse me Larry, but working through the night in an attempt to win over those who are blindly following a pathetic policy of Dubya is exactly what we pay them for. They are'nt paid to assume they're going to lose, but to persuade in an attempt to win. Wake up. This is America.
Posted by: Gharza | July 18, 2007 3:35 PM
I find it remarkable that you were able to write that without use of the word "filibuster." It was only a few years ago when all we heard about was the "Nuclear Option" meant to stop the D's filibustering. Now that R's are in the minority the language is markedly different. The current headline on WaPost.com is "Senate Rejects Troop Withdrawal Measure," this is a distortion and misleading--in fact the Senate never reached the measure, had they it would have passed. Reid's purpose was to highlight the GOP's obstructionism, unfortunately the Washington press corps seemed unwilling to explain this to the public. In this the press has failed their public trust.
Posted by: B Allen | July 18, 2007 3:35 PM
It is sad to see that the majority of the Republican Party still believes in this failed war. American people are fed up with lies and arrogance from the Bush administration. Not only does this war and the defense policies in this country has very little to prove to its people, also it is causing great violence, terror and poverty around the world and in this nation. There are more critical issues that affecting the lives of millions of americans and people world wide that our president is not taking actions against. Now the war has proven to be a failure and is causing more violence, terror and poverty in this world. According to the Borgen Project, it only takes $19 billion dollars annually to eradicate world hunger and poverty. However, our government has already spent more than $450 billion dollars over this fruitless war in Iraq. It is time for the Bush Administration to take a real interest in the lives of the American people as well as people who are in desperate needs around the world. Stop the lies and stop poverty now. Put away the arrogance and put the needs of the people before political gains.
Posted by: Mstessyrue | July 18, 2007 9:38 PM
I have previously noted the possibility that Harry Reid is a deep strategy politician.
Now I am sure he is.
With each vote on necessary legislation tied to an attempt to bringing the way to an end, the Majority leader sets the vulnerable Senators from the Republican Party up to cut their own throats. By the time the General Sings in September, every vulnerable Senator will have had several chances to show that he or she understands that a: the war is lost, and b: the American People want it over. Every time the vulnerable cohort bends to the Presidents will, they reject the will of their constituents. In just over a year those vulnerable Senators are going to have to go back to their states and tell their constituents that they care about the poor GI's who are living under the gun in Iraq. They will simply be less than credible witnesses to their own care for the sons of the voters they are asking to reelect them.
Meanwhile Mitch McConnell, John Kyl and company thumb their noses at the Democrats, and in the process at the people, and don't seem to think that the people care.
Yet every Republican who has to run in 2008 could simply have let the vote take place, go on to the President and be vetoed, and fail to over ride the veto, and get the result, no limits on the war, without being seen as obstructionist and pro war. They have been forced to protect Georges Pride at the cost of their seats.
They deserve to lose.
Posted by: ceflynline | July 18, 2007 9:39 PM
The media finds it hard to accept any democratic party move toward stopping the war, or, anything else.
It seems as though the media is locked in a republican stranglehold, which has held this nation captive for the past six years.
No matter what the Democrats try to do, they are doomed, as long as the republicans are in Congress.
The right whines about the Democrats' theatricals for their all night stand.
Unfortunately, a real toe to toe debate was absent, just the tired,old, republican parroting of White House tripe.
When a Democrat stands and challenges a republican to explain the reason for being in Iraq?who we are fighting in Iraq?and what the ultimate goal is in Iraq? then, and perhaps,just maybe, we might
convince the McCains, Grahams, and others of the war-loving ilk, that the easy ride is over.
Posted by: Water Rat | July 19, 2007 9:45 AM
Video: Bush Pushes Congress On Healthcare
President Bush is facing off with the Democrats who control Congress regarding reauthorizing a federal program known as SCHIP that provides health coverage to uninsured children.
http://onthehillblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/video-bush-pushes-congress-on.html
Posted by: | July 19, 2007 10:38 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
It would have been appropriate for the WP to list the senators who were pro and con the pullout.
I guess that's why we need blogs.