House to Vote on Iraq Resolution

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland says the House will vote on a resolution against the U.S. troop surge in Iraq, but not to cut off funds.

Hoyer and his Republican counterpart, Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, appeared together on NBC News’ Meet the Press.

I think almost every Democrat will vote for this resolution, Hoyer said, predicting the vote would come Friday.

Boehner, who supports the Bush administration’s Iraq policy, said some Republicans would vote for it too, but he did not know how many.

While we may lose the vote on this, we will not lose the debate on this, Boehner added.

Hoyer appeared to backtrack on an earlier pledge to let the GOP introduce its own resolution. He said, We want a very straightforward, clear answer to the question, ‘Do you support the president’s escalation?’

Boehner said the consequences of failing to stabilize Iraq are immense … victory, victory is the only option.