Progressives Deliver Pivotal Votes on Iraq

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http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3266.html

Progressives Deliver Pivotal Votes on Iraq

By: Josephine Hearn
March 22, 2007 07:08 PM EST

Four prominent liberal Democrats said Thursday they have given House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) the support she needs to pass the $124 billion wartime spending bill, even though they remain steadfastly opposed to any additional funding for the war.

California Democrats Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey and Diane E. Watson said they did not want to stand in the way of the bill and have urged other liberal lawmakers to vote for it.

"This is a helpful development because every vote counts,” said Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami. Still, he would not say whether the new progressive support would ensure passage of the emergency funding bill for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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With nearly all House Republicans planning to oppose the measure, Democratic leaders have been having a tough time rounding up enough support for approval before Friday’s planned vote on the House floor. Debate on the bill started Thursday.

Pelosi approached the progressives and asked them to help her change lawmakers’ minds, two Democratic aides said. And they have finalized a deal to deliver the needed support.

“After two grueling weeks of meetings, progressive members of Congress brought forth an agreement that provided the momentum to pass a supplemental spending bill that, for the first time, establishes a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq,” Lee, Woolsey and Waters said in a statement.

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