Archive: Iraq
Iraq Money Faces More Delays in the House
"My patience is growing thin," Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert C. Byrd (D-W. Va.) growled today, and he wasn't referring to the typically glacial pace of the World's Greatest Deliberative Body. Instead, Byrd was looking askance across the Capitol at House Democratic leaders, who have been dragging their feet on one...
By Ben Pershing | May 8, 2008; 06:15 PM ET | Comments (3)
Reid on Iraq, Energy and the Economy
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) talked about opposing the Iraq war, responding to the economic downturn and addressing energy issues in an interview Friday with the online video site BigThink. Reid on Iraq: Note: Please upgrade your Flash plug-in to view our enhanced content. var thisObj = "flashobj050208X12v"; var...
By washingtonpost.com Editors | May 3, 2008; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (3)
On Iraq Bill, More Questions Than Answers
What will likely be the last major showdown over Iraq between the Bush administration and the Democratic Congress is nearly upon us, and the shape of the battle to come remains decidedly unclear. Next week or the week after, Democratic leaders hope to bring to the House floor a supplemental...
By Ben Pershing | April 24, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
The Costs of War
As the Senate begins moving on the latest military supplemental spending bill, congressional Democrats are mounting a new push to highlight the growing cost of the Iraq war and its affects on funding for domestic priorities. House and Senate Democratic leaders gathered today to tout new data from the Joint...
By Ben Pershing | April 16, 2008; 03:50 PM ET | Comments (12)
After Petraeus, a Growing Divide
Two days of hearings on the progress of the Iraq war did nothing to bring President Bush and congressional Democrats any closer to a consensus on future action, as both sides have laid down increasingly combative markers today. This morning, Bush announced that tours in Iraq and Afganistan for Army...
By Ben Pershing | April 10, 2008; 01:21 PM ET | Comments (199)
The Politics of Petraeus
Even as Gen. David Petraeus testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee, political operatives off the Hill are already working to frame his appearance. This morning, the re-election campaign of Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) sent an e-mail to supporters asking them to "Sign the Petraeus Petition," telling the general...
By Ben Pershing | April 8, 2008; 10:43 AM ET | Comments (19)
Iraq Hearings: What to Watch For
Some days, when the Senate has dozens of amendments to comb through, the chamber has what is known as a "vote-a-rama." Today and tomorrow might appropriately called "hearing-a-ramas," as four different House and Senate panels are holding separate sessions on political and military progress in Iraq. The Senate gets first...
By Ben Pershing | April 8, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Week Ahead: Iraq Hearings and Housing Bill
Who said Congress is out of touch? The House and Senate will focus this week on the two issues consistently identified by voters as their primary concerns -- the housing and economic crises, and the Iraq war. This week's agenda will be headlined by four hearings Tuesday and Wednesday on...
By Ben Pershing | April 7, 2008; 12:15 PM ET | Comments (1)
Congress Will Battle Over Iraq, Economy
The House and Senate return to session today prepared to do battle simultaneously on two separate legislative fronts: the economy and Iraq. The Senate will reconsider this week a Democrat-backed housing stimulus measure that bogged down in February. Both chambers are also working to reach agreement on a bill retooling...
By Ben Pershing | March 31, 2008; 12:01 PM ET | Comments (10)
Dem. Hopefuls Call For Complete Withdrawal From Iraq
More than 40 Democratic House and Senate candidates have endorsed a document stating that "there is no military solution in Iraq" and calling for an end to the war and the removal of all U.S. troops from the country, though not according to any specific timeline. The strategy document, titled...
By Ben Pershing | March 27, 2008; 04:10 PM ET | Comments (20)
Indictment: Hussein Funded Lawmakers' Trip
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday accused a Michigan nonprofit executive of funnelling money from Saddam Hussein to pay for a 2002 trip to Iraq by three House Democratic lawmakers, according to the Associated Press. The AP says the dates of the 2002 Iraq trip correspond to those of an infamous visit...
By Ben Pershing | March 26, 2008; 06:45 PM ET | Comments (49)
Iraq: This Is No Longer a Test
The Senate is currently debating a measure to cut off funds for the Iraq war, after the chamber voted Tuesday by a wide margin to proceed with debate on a troop withdrawal bill sponsored by Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.). On Monday, Capitol Briefing incorrectly predicted that Feingold's bill would not...
By Ben Pershing | February 27, 2008; 12:37 PM ET | Comments (11)
Iraq: This Is Only a Test
If you tune in to C-SPAN2 on Tuesday, you might think you've stumbled upon an important turning point in the nation's Iraq war policy. But as the emergency broadcast system likes to say, this is only a test. The Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on two Iraq-related measures sponsored...
By Ben Pershing | February 25, 2008; 04:17 PM ET | Comments (7)
Democrats Mulling Strategic Shift on Iraq
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - As Capitol Briefing has noted, the primary theme of this year's House Democratic retreat was the economy, not Iraq. That focus continued this morning, as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke addressed lawmakers and party leaders pounced on a disappointing new jobs report. But there has been some...
By Ben Pershing | February 1, 2008; 02:40 PM ET | Comments (33)
Iraq Pulls Down Poll Numbers for Bush and Congress
Congress completed a popularity freefall last month, finding its approval ratings now almost identical to two other things Democratic leaders would rather not be associated with: President Bush and the Iraq war. Factoring in margin for error, roughly 30 percent of the public now approve of the job performance of...
By Paul Kane | October 2, 2007; 05:35 PM ET | Comments (26)
Jack Reed: Key Democratic Player on Iraq
The man delivering the Democratic response to President Bush's speech on Iraq tonight is a behind-the-scenes force in Senate Democratic politics: Jack Reed (D-R.I.). Diminutive in stature and in political profile, the second-term, 57-year-old senator has become one of the most important voices on military policy in his party. He...
By Paul Kane | September 13, 2007; 08:51 PM ET | Comments (18)
Scorecard: The Iraq Debate So Far
****Thursday's House Action**** Roll Call 624, Responsible Redeployment From Iraq Act (Passed): With a 223-201 vote, the House once again voted to set a deadline for ending major military actions in Iraq, a move that came despite a highly unified Republican opposition to any timeline for withdrawal. A look at...
By washingtonpost.com Editors | July 13, 2007; 09:25 AM ET | Comments (5)
The House's Iraq Vote: A Look at the 'Defectors'
With a 223-201 vote, the House has once again voted to set a deadline for ending major military actions in Iraq, a move that came despite a highly unified Republican opposition to any timeline for withdrawal. The final tally was similar to previous votes that included strong withdrawal language. This...
By Paul Kane | July 12, 2007; 07:23 PM ET | Comments (24)
War Brings Down Democrats' Approval Ratings
Heading into a legislative stretch focused on domestic issues, congressional Democrats just received a not-so-flattering report card on their early efforts to thwart President Bush's handling of the Iraq war. Democrats saw a sizeable drop in their job approval ratings over the past six weeks, with 44 percent of poll...
By Paul Kane | June 5, 2007; 11:56 AM ET | Comments (19)
Freshmen 42: A First Split on the Iraq War
For the first time since entering Congress on Jan. 3, the House's freshmen Democrats split into different camps last week on a key Iraq war vote. Until last week, the "Freshmen 42" had voted in lock step with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on every major Iraq vote this year,...
By Paul Kane | May 15, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (15)
Senate GOP: Light at the End of the Iraq Tunnel?
The political battle over positioning on the Iraq war has unquestionably been The Story so far in the 110th Congress. Domestic issues have taken a substantial backseat to, first, the symbolic fight to pass non-binding language opposing President Bush's troop surge into Baghdad, followed by the two-month-and-counting battle over the...
By Paul Kane | May 11, 2007; 06:12 PM ET | Comments (12)
Clinton Joins Effort to 'Deauthorize' Iraq war
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) today signed on to legislation that would deauthorize the Iraq war, her strongest anti-war position in the four-and-a-half years since she joined an overwhelming majority of Democrats and Republicans in approving the war. Clinton, who has been dogged by anti-war liberals over her previous support...
By Paul Kane | May 3, 2007; 06:17 PM ET | Comments (18)
Reid: "We Should Be Addressing ..."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) today delivered a stinging speech on the state of President Bush's Iraq policy, setting up the expected showdown later this week when the House and Senate are expected to pass a supplemental spending bill that includes a deadline for withdrawing American troops from Iraq....
By Paul Kane | April 23, 2007; 01:50 PM ET | Comments (25)
Iraq Withdrawal Debate, Part II: The Veto
President George W. Bush will be offering up his second veto ever in less than a month, if the Democratic Congress sends him an Iraq spending bill containing a deadline for troop withdrawal.. And while he would double his veto total from the previous six-plus years, Bush would remain in...
By Paul Kane | April 4, 2007; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (34)
The Iraq Withdrawal Debate, Part 1
Mark your calendars for April 27, give or take a day. That's the rough estimate of when President George W. Bush might have his first chance to veto a piece of legislation approved by the Democratically controlled 110th Congress. Over the next few days, Capitol Briefing will give readers a...
By Paul Kane | April 3, 2007; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (47)
Hagel vs. Mentor: The Iraq War Debate
The entire political landscape of the Iraq war, its implications on Capitol Hill and its potential impact on the 2008 presidential campaign, played out, of all places, in yesterday's editorial pages of the Omaha World-Herald. Sens. Chuck Hagel (R) and Ben Nelson (D), the two Nebraskans who flipped their votes...
By Paul Kane | March 30, 2007; 02:38 PM ET | Comments (39)
