Senate Set to Vote on War Funding Bill

Democrats in the US Senate are set to cast what they call a dramatic anti-war vote this week.

Behind closed doors this week, some moderates in the Senate worked with the anti-war coalition in crafting a bill they hope will make President Bush rethink his Iraq war strategy.

On Monday, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, D-NV, said the Senate will vote on whether funding for troops in Iraq will be halted sometime next year. This bill will most likely include language stating US troops need to start withdrawal maneuvers this fall. Sen. Reid said he plans to attach these two provisions to a water projects funding bill that is up for debate this week.

Voting on the water project funding bill should take place this Wednesday, and it is expected the Senate will still be short the 60 votes required to move any legislation forward in the Senate. Sen. Reid hopes voting on this bill will help him determine the political waters surrounding the issue of troop funding that even has the Democratic caucus divided on how far Congress should go in support of US troops.

"These are important votes," said Reid spokesman Rodell Mollineau. "This will give members an opportunity to debate these issues and have up-or-down votes" on whether to end the war.

President Bush has all ready vetoed a $124 billion troop funding bill because this bill included a provision stating US troops need to be begin Iraq withdrawal tactics starting this Oct. 1.

The US House of Representatives all ready defied the President on the troop funding issue by passing proposed legislation that would only fund US troops in Iraq through July. This bill all ready appears 'dead on arrival' in the Senate because Democratic Senators do not want to give the appearance they are abandoning US troops deployed in a war zone.

"On our side of the aisle, Democrats believe they should do something very, very close to what was done in the bill that was sent to the president to be vetoed," Reid said.

Sen Reid and Sen.Carl Levin, D-Mich, are willing to allow the Senate to vote on legislation demanding troop withdrawals starting on Oct. 1, but this proposed legislation will also allow the President to waive that requirement.

Sen. Levin is the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee. He called this legislation the "second-best" option because he feels it allows the President to waive the troop withdrawal date, and this gives Bush no reason to veto this particular piece of legislation. However, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says Bush is still not in favor of Levin and Reid's newest withdrawal plan.

"Such time lines tie the hands of our commanders, weaken our friends, embolden our enemies and enhance the risk faced by our troops in combat," Perino said. "The bottom line is that a date for retreat is a date for retreat, and the president opposes such provisions."

Senator Reid is still facing pressure from more liberal Democrats who want to cut off all funding, as of March 31, 2008, for all troops still in Iraq. Earlier this year, Reid teamed with Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis, to co-sponsor this legislation, but Reid says he does not intend to push this bill as the Democrats caucus position on funding US troops.

Feingold said the American public deserve to see, on record, the position Senators are taking when it comes to ending our misguided mission in Iraq, and then safely redeploying our brave troops.

This voting comes as nearly a dozen Republicans are discussing their own plan for further funding of troops in Iraq. A proposal by Sen. John Warner, R-Va, calls for the President to re-evaluate his Iraq strategy if the Iraqi government does not meet certain benchmarks.

"We're trying to put together a single document" that would address concerns of GOP senators, Warner, R-Va., said in an interview.

Warner said he personally backs a requirement calling for Iraqi progress reports that need to be sent to Congress before their usual breaks in August and September.

Warner would like the first report by July so Congressional members have an updated evaluation of the situation they can take back to their voters. Sen. Warner also said if the Iraqi government is not meeting their benchmarks at this time, President Bush should then consider whether a new Iraq war strategy needs to be developed.

Sen. Warner said this group of a dozen Republicans have been discussing this issue along with Sen. Bob Nelson, D-Neb, and the goal is to develop proposals that will provide bipartisan interest and support.

Sens. Susan Collins, R-ME, and Norm Coleman, R-MN, are among the Senators working with Warner and Nelson in trying to come up with proposals that both Democrats and Republicans will like.

Sen. Nelson has drafted legislation that calls for reconstruction aid to be cut off if the Iraqis fail to meet certain political and security benchmarks. This legislation would also allow the President to waive the cutting of reconstruction aid if the President can show public justification for this aid to continue.

Nelson's proposed legislation would also call for the U.S. commander in Iraq to testify by Sept. 15 on the effectiveness of Bush's troop buildup around Baghdad.

"The Senate needs to move forward," Nelson said. "The president has signaled he will accept reasonable benchmarks."

Senators Warner and Nelson have worked successfully on Senate legislation before as part of the the "Gang of 14,". This "gang" was a group of senators who in 2005 drafted a compromise to end a Senate fight on judicial nominations.

Read more about the Senates Iraq plan at Yahoo News