Posted: 11/18/2005 8:35:38 PM EDT
|
Iraq Pullout Rejected Lawmakers reject calls for troop pullout GOP-orchestrated bill fails as intended; Dems deride it as a political stunt NBC VIDEO • Call for withdrawal ignites fierce debate Nov. 18: Raising the temperature in Congress over U.S. policy in Iraq, Democrats rushed to the defense of Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who says it is time to bring the troops home. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. Nightly News Updated: 12:09 a.m. ET Nov. 19, 2005 WASHINGTON - The House on Friday overwhelmingly rejected calls for an immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq, a vote engineered by the Republicans that was intended to fail. Democrats derided the vote as a political stunt. “Our troops have become the enemy. We need to change direction in Iraq,” said Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a Democratic hawk whose call a day earlier for pulling out troops sparked a nasty, personal debate over the war. With the symbolic vote, Republicans were hoping to place Democrats in an unappealing position — either supporting a withdrawal that critics said would be precipitous or opposing it and angering voters who want an end to the conflict. They were also hoping the vote could restore GOP momentum on an issue — the war — that has seen plummeting public support in recent weeks. “We want to make sure that we support our troops that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will not retreat,” Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said of the nonbinding resolution. Furious Democrats accused the GOP of orchestrating a political stunt and changing the meaning of the proposal by Murtha, who has said a smooth withdrawal would take six months. |
|
Anyone know who the 3 yes votes were? Lawmakers Reject Immediate Iraq Withdrawal Nov 18 11:41 PM US/Eastern Email this story By LIZ SIDOTI Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON The House on Friday overwhelmingly rejected calls for an immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq, a vote engineered by the Republicans that was intended to fail. Democrats derided the vote as a political stunt. "Our troops have become the enemy. We need to change direction in Iraq," said Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a Democratic hawk whose call a day earlier for pulling out troops sparked a nasty, personal debate over the war. The House voted 403-3 to reject a nonbinding resolution calling for an immediate troop withdrawal. "We want to make sure that we support our troops that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will not retreat," Speaker Dennis Hastert, R- Ill., said as the GOP leadership pushed the issue to a vote over the protest of Democrats. It was the second time in less than a week that President Bush's Iraq policy stirred heated debate in Congress. On Tuesday, the Senate defeated a Democratic push for Bush to lay out a timetable for withdrawal. Murtha, a 73-year-old Marine veteran decorated for combat service in Vietnam, issued his call for a troop withdrawal at a news conference on Thursday. In little more than 24 hours, Hastert and Republicans decided to put the question to the House. Democrats said it was a political stunt and quickly decided to vote against it in an attempt to drain it of significance. "A disgrace," declared House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "The rankest of politics and the absence of any sense of shame," added Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 House Democrat. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
