Top Story USA
1 February 2007
Additional troops to Iraq
In what may be a blow to war opponents the Republicans have blocked
a debate on the resolution opposing President Bush's decision
to send additional troops to Iraq.
49 senators voted in favour of the resolution while the measure
needed 60 votes to be considered for the debate in the 100-member
Senate. 47 members voted against in a largely party-line vote.
Vowing to return to the subject Democratic senators, who backed
the motion, said the issue would be raised again, possibly later
this week.
Although non-binding, the resolution assumed significance, as
it was the first serious effort in Congress to meet head-on
the White House over the unpopular war in Iraq.
Since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, more than 3,000 US
troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis have perished in Iraq.
The resolution opposed Mr Bush's plan to send 21,500 extra troops
to Iraq, the majority of them to violence-hit Baghdad in an
effort to end sectarian clashes.
It urged the President to examine all other possibilities. However,
Bush has said it is something he has already done.
It was the first time Democrats had scheduled a fully-fledged
debate on the Iraq war since they won control of Congress in
last year's mid-term elections.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid said the Republican vote meant
they were supporting "this president continuing the same
policy of failure in Iraq".
Two Republicans refused to follow their party leadership and
voted with Democrats to move to debate. Several Republicans
supported the resolution, but there were not enough to block
the efforts of White House loyalists in the Senate to prevent
it from coming to a vote.
Earlier, Mr Bush sent his budget proposal to the Democrat-held
Congress for approval, requesting more funding for the conflicts
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nearly $700bn is earmarked for new military spending.
|
|