Is President Bush ready? The Senate passed a war funding bill Thursday that sets a deadline for withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq by next April.
Bush seems to win out in this round given the fact that his opposition does not have enough votes to override his expected veto. The vote was 51-46. Republican Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Gordon Smith of Oregon joined Democrats in supporting the bill. Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman, who caucuses with the Democrats, voted with Republicans opposing it. Two supporters of Bush's Iraq policy: Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina did not vote. [Senator Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, recovering from a brain hemorrhage, did not vote.]
The bill would be sent to the president's desk Monday or Tuesday.
The 218-208 House vote stops short of the 290 yeas needed to trump Bush. Two Republicans voted for the bill but 13 Democrats voted no.
The Pentagon is on record that it can fund the war through June. The real battle, over funds, will begin in earnest this summer.
As Congressional opposition increased, the U.S. ended involvement in Somalia in 1994. That resulted in no greater security than before.
Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.