Discussion:
Senate Votes on the War: Calls for US Withdrawal
james m nordlund
2005-11-22 10:08:36 UTC
Permalink
Dear james m,

On November 15, 2005, the U.S. Senate cast its first votes on the war in
Iraq since authorizing the use of force in October 2002.

While the two amendments did not cut off funds or force a timetable for
bringing U.S. troops home, they marked a clear repudiation of President
Bush’s “stay the course” policy.

There were two votes Tuesday.

An amendment offered by Sens. John Warner (R-VA) and Bill Frist (R-TN) was
adopted 79 – 19. The amendment called for:

A “phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq,” although
without providing a specific timetable.
The Administration to tell Iraqis that they must make the compromises
necessary for a sustainable political settlement.
The Iraqis to be told that the U.S. will eventually depart.

A second amendment offered by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) and other Democrats
was defeated 40 – 58. The Levin amendment went further by demanding from
the Administration “a campaign plan with estimated dates for the phased
redeployment of the United States Armed Forces from Iraq.”

While the House of Representatives has had votes on Iraq, until now the
Senate has been reluctant to deal with the issue.

Thus these votes reflect vigorous public opposition indicated by all
public opinion polls, as well as concern over more than 2,000 American war
dead, over 15,000 wounded, many more Iraqis killed or wounded, plus $357
billion allocated for the war.

The two votes have sent an unmistakable bipartisan signal that the United
States will not stay in Iraq indefinitely, either to control oil, maintain
military bases or impose democracy.There is similar legislation in the
House of Representatives: the Abercrombie-Jones resolution calling for the
United States to withdraw from Iraq.

Click Here to Tell Your Representative to Support the Abercrombie-Jones
resolution!

http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/clw/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=892

Also, the 40 Senators who voted for the strongest position, the Levin
amendment, should be praised for voting to end the war in Iraq:

They are: Akaka (D-HI), Baucus (D-MT), Bayh (D-IN), Biden (D-DE), Bingaman
(D-NM), Boxer (D-CA), Byrd (D-WV), Cantwell (D-WA), Carper (D-DE), Chafee
(R-RI), Clinton (D-NY), Dayton (D-MN), Dodd (D-CT), Dorgan (D-ND), Durbin
(D-IL), Feingold (D-WI), Feinstein (D-CA), Harkin (D-IA), Inouye (D-HI),
Jeffords (I-VT), Johnson (D-SD), Kennedy (D-MA), Kerry (D-MA), Kohl
(D-WI), Landrieu (D-LA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Leahy (D-VT), Levin (D-MI),
Lincoln (D-AR), Mikulski (D-MD), Murray (D-WA), Obama (D-IL), Reed (D-RI),
Reid (D-NV), Rockefeller (D-WV), Salazar (D-CO), Sarbanes (D-MD), Schumer
(D-NY), Stabenow (D-MI),
Wyden (D-OR).

Sincerely, John Isaacs and Guy Stevens



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