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Congress and Iraq

Started by R McCartney; Last updated Feb 27, 08 7:34 AM CST by D Lim | View history

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Congress and Iraq

The Democratic Congress swooped back into power on an anti-Iraq platform. But with little concrete progress on withdrawal, is it too little, too late?

When the Dems took control of both houses of Congress in January of 2007, they vowed to bring the fight to Bush on Iraq. They've gotten benchmarks into the budget, but have rejected toothier measures, such as timetables for withdrawal and funding cuts. Critics say the Dems have failed to take decisive action; others argue they've done the best they could without a two-thirds majority. Meanwhile, GOP reps have had to decide whether to stick with Bush on Iraq, or to defect and join the growing anti-war mainstream. Or, if they're John McCain, both.

Stories

Stories 101 - 120 of 128

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July 2007
- Democrats Lose Withdrawal Vote
  
  New York Times | Jul 18, 07 1:04 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Senate Democrats failed to collect enough votes this morning to pass a bill that would force President Bush to begin pulling troops out of Iraq within 120 days. After a spirited all-night debate, 52 voted in favor of the measure and 47 against, but rules require 60 "yes" votes to avert a Republican filibuster. More »
- Senate to Pull Iraq All-Nighter
  
  New York Times | Jul 17, 07 9:26 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Democrats will plunge the Senate into a rare overnight debate tonight, hoping to pressure Republicans uneasy about the president’s Iraq war strategy by forcing a simple majority vote. The session will conclude in a vote on troop withdrawal tomorrow morning. Republicans responded to yesterday's announcement by accusing Democrats of playing politics and suggesting they’ll filibuster, the Times reports. More »
- GOP Loyalist Dissents on War
  
  Politico | Jul 6, 07 4:33 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Another key Republican has broken with President Bush over the war in Iraq, Politico reports. The war is a "failed strategy" and it's time to "move our troops out of combat operations," New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici said yesterday. Domenici, who serves on the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, faces re-election next year. More »
June 2007
- Iraq Misses Mark on US Demands
  
  New York Times | Jun 13, 07 8:13 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Iraqi government has flubbed virtually all of the legal benchmarks proscribed by the US occupation. Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish blocs in Iraq's legislature have so far failed to agree on watershed issues like distributing oil wealth, debaathification, and curbing sectarian violence; now scorekeepers are saying no major legislation will make it through this year. More »
- Democrats Don't Live Up to Hype
  
  Economist | Jun 12, 07 4:36 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Seven months after wresting control of Congress from Republicans, Democrats have failed to make good on their promises, writes the Economist . Almost none of the bills introduced in the first "100 hours" has become law, AG Alberto Gonzalez still has a job, and an Iraq pullout is nowhere in sight. More »
- Democrats Focus Intently on Iraq
  
  Politico | Jun 4, 07 7:26 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Democratic presidential field already has three leaders, and they're so eager to distinguish themselves by staking out their Iraq stances that the other five candidates can barely get a word in. The Politico looks at last night's debate in New Hampshire and finds Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Hillary Clinton taking up all the air in the room. More »
May 2007
- Congress OKs New Iraq Bill
  
  Washington Post | May 25, 07 5:30 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Congress approved $95 billion to pay for the war in Iraq—without a timetable for troop withdrawal. The bill, which Bush says he'll sign, passed both houses last night, ending a long and bitter struggle between Democrats and a veto-ready White House over bringing the troops home. Aspiring presidents Clinton and Obama voted against the bill. More »
- Support for War Drops to Record Low
  
  CBS | May 24, 07 3:51 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Six out of 10 Americans say the US should have stayed out of Iraq, a new CBS News/ New York Times poll reports. And an all-time high of 76%—including a majority of Republicans—say the war is going badly. Americans support get-tough measures tying funding to progress, including a timetable for withdrawal, but don't believe funding should be cut off. More »
- House Breaks Up Iraq War Funding Bill
  
  Politico | May 23, 07 5:59 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - House Democratic leaders are splitting the new Iraq funding bill into two distinct amendments, the Politco reports. One will be the $103 billion Bush requested for the war in Iraq, which will speak of benchmarks but won't demand a withdrawal date, the other a $17 billion domestic spending package. More »
- Dems Ditch Iraq Timeline Demand
  
  Los Angeles Times | May 22, 07 9:51 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Democratic leaders have quietly abandoned a cornerstone of their Iraq war platform: a timeline for withdrawal. Racing to pass a spending bill before the Memorial Day recess, they don't have the votes to pass a timeline, the LA Times reports, and they risk fallout for failing to fund troops in the field if they can’t reach an agreement this week. More »
- Bush, Dems Test Compromise Skills on Iraq
  
  New York Times | May 19, 07 8:58 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Congress' Democratic bosses and the White House are attempting diplomacy after six years of Republican neglect that has left the new majority uneasy, the Times reports. But this week's agreements on less thorny issues, trade and immigration, contrast significantly with a divided Washington's repeated, fumbled attempts at a compromise war appropriations bill. More »
- Senate Votes Down Iraq Withdrawal
  
  Reuters | May 17, 07 6:03 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Senate yesterday shot down a plan to cut all funding for the war in Iraq by next March. Russ Feingold's proposal, largely a test of anti-war support, was defeated in a 67-29 procedural vote, as Congress moves towards compromise with the White House on a spending measure. More »
- House Passes Short-Term War Funding
  
  CNN | May 11, 07 6:36 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Congress voted 221-205 last night to pump $40 billion into the war in Iraq—only enough to fund combat operations until July. An additional $56 billion would be released contingent on the Iraqi government's progress. The bill omits any timetable for withdrawal, but sets the scene for another showdown with President Bush, who's promised to veto it. More »
- Bush Caves On Iraq Benchmarks
  
  MarketWatch | May 10, 07 4:22 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - In an abrupt about-face, President Bush said today he will negotiate with Congress about including benchmarks for the Iraqi government in war-spending legislation. With discontent mounting on both sides of the aisle, he emerged from a Pentagon briefing on Iraq and Afghanistan and said, "It makes sense to have benchmarks as part of our discussion." More »
- GOP Moderates Huddle With Bush on Iraq
  
  Washington Post | May 10, 07 6:41 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Moderate Republicans met with Bush and his closest aides yesterday in a private meeting one participant called "a remarkable, candid conversation" the Washington Post reports. The representatives made clear their frustration with the war in Iraq, and its unpopularity with their constituents, as both parties attempt to hammer out a compromise. More »
- Bush Will Veto New Iraq Bill
  
  Washington Post | May 9, 07 3:03 PM CDT