Senate votes for Iraq withdrawal by next March

Test of legislative wills
The House has already passed legislation requiring troops to be withdrawn by Sept. 1, 2008. The Senate vote assured that the Democratic-controlled Congress would send Bush legislation later this spring that calls for a change in war policy. A veto is a certainty, presuming the president follows through.

That would put the onus back on the Democrats, who would have to decide how long they wanted to extend the test of wills in the face of what are likely to be increasingly urgent statements from the administration that the money is needed for troops in the war zone.

“Frankly, I think we’d like to reach out to the president ... and say, ‘Mr. President, this is not a unilateral government. It is a separation of powers, and the Congress of the United States is assuming review,”’ House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland told reporters as the Senate debated the war.

Reid also referred to the president at a news conference. “I would hope that he would be willing to work with us in coming up with some language that both (houses of Congress) could accept. At this stage, he has been very non-negotiable. So we’ll see what happens,” he said.

As drafted, the legislation called for troop withdrawal to begin within 120 days, with a non-binding goal that calls for the combat troops to be gone within a year.

The measure also includes a series of suggested goals for the Iraqi government to meet to provide for its own security, enhance democracy and distribute its oil wealth fairly — provisions designed to attract support from Nelson and Pryor.

Critical moment for Democrats
The vote was a critical test for Reid and the new Democratic majority in the Senate nearly three months after they took power. Despite several attempts, they had yet to win approval for any legislation challenging Bush’s policies in a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,200 U.S. troops and cost in excess of $300 billion.

NBC VIDEO Bush vows war deadline veto March 23: President Bush promises to veto a House bill setting a deadline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Nightly News

Republicans prevented debate over the winter on non-binding measures critical of Bush’s decision to deploy an additional 21,500 troops. That led to the 50-48 vote derailing a bill that called for a troop withdrawal to begin within 120 days but set only a non-binding target of March 31, 2008, for the departure of the final combat forces.

Some Democrats said they would support the non-binding timetable even though they wanted more. “I want a deadline not only for commencing the withdrawal of our forces but also completing it rather than a target date,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

“This provision represents a 90-degree change of course from the president’s policy of escalation in the middle of a civil war,” he said, “I’m confident once the withdrawal of our troops begins, there will be no turning back.”

Republicans disagreed, strongly. “Wars cannot be run from these hallowed and comfortable and sanctified chambers 10,000 miles away from the war zone,” said Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo. “How about allowing the officers, the men and the commanders in the field who are engaged daily, risking their lives to bring peace and security to Iraq, determine when and how we can best turn over to the Iraqi security forces the critical job, the critical job of assuring security.”

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