July 11, 2007

Cloture Rejected On Webb-Hagel Amendment

UPDATED.

After much partisan wrangling, Senate Republicans today succeeded in shelving an amendment to the FY08 defense authorization bill that would have mandated down time for active-duty troops and reservists. As they have done throughout the year on other legislation, Republicans pushed the amendment to a cloture vote, which failed 56-4.

Republicans had criticized the language, sponsored by Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., as an unconstitutional effort to tie the president's hands in a time of war. Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee ranking member Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., added that the language was a "back door" move to end President Bush's strategy to increase troop levels in Iraq.

Democrats shot back, criticizing GOP senators for manipulating Senate rules to block language that would decrease stress on heavily deployed troops. The amendment would have stipulated that active-duty troops receive as much time at home as the time they spent deployed, while reservists would receive three times as much time off as they spent on active duty. It also would have allowed a presidential waiver after certification that the troops are needed for an emergency. Republicans, said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., "threw sand in the gears." Hagel, who criticized his party's maneuvers as "wrong," said he and Webb plan to introduce a broader amendment later today.

Seven Republicans voted for cloture, including three -- Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Norm Coleman of Minnesota and John Sununu of New Hampshire -- who are up for re-election next year and are targets of a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ad blitz on the Iraq war. The DSCC also is targeting Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

After today's vote, McConnell dodged questions on whether he believes the seven Republicans who voted for cloture on the Webb amendment was indicative of waning Republican unity on Iraq, saying only that he was pleased the amendment failed to advance to a final vote.

-Megan Scully and Ben Schneider, CongressDaily

Posted at 5:20 PM
Posted to: Congress, Iraq, Middle East, Senate
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