The Senate’s votes this week, and last week, on U.S. policy in Iraq won’t change Bush administration policy. But they are important indicators of where key senators — those in re-election races and those with presidential ambitions — stand on the U.S. mission in Iraq.
At issue were three proposals:
- An amendment to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of this year, introduced by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY., last week. (The Senate voted 93 to 6 to reject it.)
- A non-binding proposal offered by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., to urge President Bush to begin “redeployment” of U.S. troops from Iraq by Dec 31, was rejected 60-39 Thursday..
- A measure offered by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., that sets a deadline of July 1, 2007, for U.S. troops to be withdrawn – except for those needed to train Iraqi forces -- was rejected 86-13 Thursday.