What did the Senate do today regarding Iraq?

[Raven]

I have somehow lost track. Was there a vote? What was passed or what failed? Thanks!

[waiting for hope]

1. Failed.....eom

[Raven]

4. Whose bill failed?

Did I hear that the Gregg bill passed?

[waiting for hope]

6. Senate GOP turns back Iraq pullout plan

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070315/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

WASHINGTON - Democrats aggressively challenged President Bush's Iraq policy at both ends of the Capitol on Thursday, gaining House committee approval for a troop withdrawal deadline of Sept. 1, 2008, but suffering defeat in the Senate on a less sweeping plan to end U.S. participation in the war.

[bdamomma]

10. yea, and the Murray bill, but nothing substantive

Specter said right on the Senate floor they need to go bac to the drawing board, and while they go back to drawing board 4 more soldiers died today. What the hell is the Senate's problem? Never mind don't answer that.

[Justice Is Comin]

2. They're going to have to

rehash it and bring the wagons around again.

[robinlynne]

3. They fucked up.

[karynnj]

8. No they didn't

They knew they did not have the votes - to actually get a binding bill like this in place - they would need 67 votes - so they could override a Bush veto. The point is that the Democrats have unified around a REAL plan. Last summer, only 13 Senators were willing to vote for the similar binding Kerry/Feingold bill. Today they got 48 votes.

They need to make the case to more Republicans to force this issue, but it is significant that they now have almost all Democrats behind a serious plan. I KNOW that means people are still dying - and the Senators working the hardest on this know it. They are also working to push the debate to make more people see that there is no military solution and a plan like this is needed. It may not come to pass until we have a new President, but what will have been done is that some of the ground work has been done. It is also noteworthy that they have pushed the Bush administration to meet with the neighboring countries - which they wouldn't do for the last 3 plus years.

What is the alternative for sitting Senators who want to fix the mess the Bush administration has made of the world? The answer was for all Democrats, Independents etc to have gotten 100% behind Senator Kerry in 2004.

[robinlynne]

11. I thought of changing my reply to "we lost". kinder.

[karynnj]

12. Yeah - my answer would have been the same

I do understand the frustration that things that need to change aren't changing. As I said, they made some progress - at least in moving most of the party behind leaving.

[robinlynne]

I hope this saturday gets big numbers like in the 60s.

Time for us to be in the streets, I mean really in the streets.

[karynnj]

15. yeah, it may take a lot of that

Here's a link to a DKos diary I just saw that deals with what can be done.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/15/215131/026

[robinlynne]

13. I hope this saturday gets big numbers like in the 60s.

Time for us to be in the streets, I mean really in the streets.

[robinlynne]

16. Actually they did. they passed funding for the war by a huge majority!

what the hell is going on?

[madeline_con]

5. Here's what I'm finding...

Senate to Vote Today on Iraq War Resolutions, Leaders Say

By William Roberts

March 15 (Bloomberg) -- Senate Republicans and Democrats agreed to vote today on a series of measures on Iraq, including a Democratic proposal to withdraw U.S. troops from that country next year that most Republicans oppose.

The Senate voted yesterday 89-9 to consider the Democrats' measure, which faces a veto threat from the Bush administration. It would revise the 2002 resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq. The Democratic-backed proposal says the original approval is no longer valid, and U.S. troops shouldn't be policing an Iraqi civil war.

The Senate will also vote on two other resolutions sponsored by Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. By mutual agreement between the parties, each of the three resolutions requires 60 votes to pass.

``I think we've made great progress,'' Reid said of the agreement with Republicans to vote on the war. Senator Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, called the negotiations leading to today's votes ``painstaking.''

Democrats control a narrow 50-49 majority over Republicans with the absence of Senator Tim Johnson, a South Dakota Democrat who is recovering from brain surgery.

Senator Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, said the Democratic resolution was ill-conceived. ``The generals are more capable of running this war than are the members of this body,'' he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Roberts in Washington at [e-mail] .

Last Updated: March 15, 2007 14:45 EDT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=arCIwSRzK1yo&refer=home


======================

Senate Panel Expects Vote on Budget Plan

Thursday March 15, 2007 10:16 PM


By ANDREW TAYLOR

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Senate panel on Thursday drew close to approving a budget blueprint awarding near-term spending boosts for Democratic favorites such as education and veterans programs, while putting off difficult decisions on taxes, Social Security and Medicare.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6483511,00.html

[jannyk]

7. 3 votes - 2 pass 1 fail

Reid's failed 48/50
Murray's Passed 96/2
Gregg's passed 82/16

[robinlynne]

14. What were murrays and gregs bills?

[jannyk]

17. Murray's promised...

continued support via funding, equipment, resources and stressed 'forever' medical care.
Greggs's basically just said no funding cuts would occur.

[karlrschneider]

9. Basically said "Stay the course"

:grr: