US Senate defeats Democrats' Iraq withdrawal plans

Washington, June 23 : The Republican-led Senate today rejected Democratic plans to start a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq as senators cast votes expected to resonate in November elections to determine control of Congress.

Republicans, embracing President George W. Bush's policies in the war that has caused his approval ratings to plummet, defeated two Democratic amendments to start the withdrawal of U.S. forces, now numbering about 127,000.

A nonbinding resolution broadly backed by Democrats that urged Bush to start withdrawing troops this year but without setting a deadline for completion failed 60-39. Six Democrats and one Republican crossed party lines on the vote.

Another amendment to put into law a plan to start withdrawing combat forces immediately and complete the process by next July failed 86-13.

Those 13 Democrats who voted for the measure pushed by Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Russell Feingold of Wisconsin then voted for the non-binding resolution, which was cast as the Democratic consensus position.

In politically charged debate, Republicans depicted Iraq as central to the war on terrorism and branded Democrats as divided and weak on the issue.

The votes came as the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen.

George Casey, met at the Pentagon with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for talks on future force levels and other issues.

Pentagon leaders are considering a reduction of a few thousand troops in Iraq in the coming months.

Democrats said the United States was squandering the lives of U.S. soldiers and hundreds of billions of dollars on Bush's failing policies. The U.S. death toll in Iraq stands at 2,511.

''Withdrawal is not an option, surrender is not a solution,'' said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican.

''This senator does not want to be complicit in that decision that could reverse the success we have achieved since 9-11 in keeping terrorism off our shores.'' But Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said the Senate's choice was ''between doing nothing, the so-called stay the course option that the president and his supporters advocate, or changing the course and providing our troops and the Iraqi people a way forward.'' Republicans and Democrats accused each other of exploiting the war for political gain. Senators took to the floor late into the night on Wednesday to stake out positions before today's votes.

After the vote, Democrats dismissed the six defections in their ranks and claimed a political victory, saying they were largely united behind a position supported by most Americans who want a policy to end the war.

''Eighty percent of us voted that way. It is a strong consensus statement by Democrats,'' said Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, a key sponsor of the call for withdrawal without a deadline.

''The Republicans are totally united behind a failed policy,'' said Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat.

Frist said that although ''Democrats proposed multiple and confusing strategies for withdrawal, it's clear that the Senate has rejected their plans for surrender and cut and run.'' Democrats who voted against Levin's measure generally were moderates from Republican-leaning states. One, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, was from a strongly Democratic state and faces a stiff primary challenge largely because of his pro-war stance.

Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee, the only Republican to cross lines, faces a primary election challenge from Republicans angry that he has frequently defied Bush. Then he faces the general election in the Democratic state.

''Nobody can accuse me of playing politics with voting decisions such as these,'' he said, adding every vote ''will come under attack by those either on the left or right.''

Reuters