Senators Say ‘No’ on Bush Iraq Plan

By Kathy Kiely

WASHINGTON — The stage is set for a dramatic debate in the Senate next week on President Bush’s Iraq war policy following a vote of no-confidence Wednesday by a key committee.

“All 100 senators should be on the line on this,” said Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican who co-sponsored a resolution opposing the president’s planned increase in troop levels. “If you wanted a safe job, go sell shoes.”

Hagel’s resolution, which he wrote with two ranking Democrats, declares Bush’s plan to send 21,500 additional troops to Baghdad and Anbar province “not in the national interest.”

Congressional efforts to redirect military policy are not unprecedented. The House and Senate voted to remove U.S. troops from Somalia in 1993, Haiti in 1994 and Bosnia in 1997.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote was 12-9, with Hagel the only Republican in favor. Indications are the floor vote may be more bipartisan:

*Hours after the Foreign Relations Committee voted, Sen. John Warner of Virginia, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced a resolution that calls on Bush to reduce troop levels; Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Gordon Smith of Oregon are co-sponsors.

*The four-hour committee debate produced far more consensus than the roll call indicated, exposing deep misgivings in both parties about Bush’s plans.

Only Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said he backed the president’s policy. He said he is doing so “as a final attempt” to bring stability in Iraq. Other Republicans who opposed the resolution made it plain their vote should not be interpreted as support for Bush’s plan.

“I’m more skeptical about what we’re doing than I have ever been,” said Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio. Coleman called it a “bad idea” to send more troops to Baghdad. “Iraq is a mess,” he said.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said that while he opposed the largely symbolic “sense of the Senate” measure, he’s reserving the option to vote for a binding resolution to change direction in Iraq.

A number of alternatives are likely to be offered during the Senate debate, including Warner’s, which urges Bush to reduce force levels in Iraq. Possible proposals run the gamut from capping troop strength in Iraq at the current levels to mandating a phased withdrawal.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Vice President Cheney called a suggestion that some Republicans had lost faith in the administration because of blunders in Iraq “hogwash.” He said a congressional resolution “won’t stop us.”

In order to pass the Senate, any anti-war resolution may need 60 votes: Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is threatening a filibuster. (c) Copyright 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.