US Senate proposal on Iraq gains support

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) Top Senate Democrats joined with Republican Sen John Warner to support a nonbinding resolution opposing President George W Bush's Iraq strategy, increasing prospects that Bush will face an embarrassing repudiation.

As a number of lawmakers sought a vehicle to go on record against Bush's plan to send 21,500 more US troops to Iraq, Warner of Virginia agreed to changes in his proposal that picked up Democratic support.

''The Warner changes have moved us forward. I believe we have a better chance of drawing together a stronger bipartisan group in support of Warner's resolution,'' Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, told reporters yesterday. He said he would vote for the Warner resolution as now written.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said he wanted debate to start on Warner's resolution on Monday.

With the Senate preparing to confront Bush over his Iraq policy, it has been unclear whether any of the proposals circulating could gather the super-majority of 60 votes needed to overcome procedural hurdles in the 100-vote chamber, which has 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans.

Warner, the former Armed Services Committee chairman, unveiled changes in his proposal aimed at getting over this vote hurdle, although supporters would not predict whether the plan had sufficient backing.

''SURGE-LIGHT'' Warner rewrote part of his resolution to make it clear that he was not advocating what aides called a ''surge-light'' -- that is, an increase of troops at some level less than the 21,500 troops Bush is adding.

Senate aides said that change was aimed at getting the backing of more Democrats, including the current Armed Services Committee chairman, Carl Levin of Michigan. Appearing on the Senate floor with Warner, Levin said he would co-sponsor the proposal.

Warner also made changes aimed at picking up more Republicans, aides said, making it clear the resolution was not calling for a cutoff of funds to US troops already at war -- an idea anathema to many Republicans.

Warner also added language similar to another proposed resolution by Sen. John McCain, setting benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet, such as assurances of a crackdown on insurgents regardless of their religious affiliations. McCain, an Arizona Republican, supports Bush's troop increase.

It was unclear whether Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky would throw any procedural hurdles in the way of Warner's resolution.

The Senate had been expected to turn to a more bluntly worded resolution by Foreign Relations Committee ChairmanJoseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, that declares Bush's troop boost is not in the ''national interest.'' But Biden's proposal had only gathered the public support of two Republicans so far.

None of the proposals pending in the Senate would be binding on Bush, but sponsors hope they would convince him to change course.

Bush said earlier on Wednesday ''I don't feel abandoned'' by fellow Republicans in Congress who are working with Democrats to protest his Iraq policy.

In a television interview, Bush shrugged off criticism of his plan, and said he hoped lawmakers would give US forces what they needed to get the job done.

''I don't feel abandoned,'' Bush said on Fox News Channel's ''Neil Cavuto'' program. ''And what do you expect? When times are good, there's millions of authors of the plan. When times are bad, there's one author, and that would be me.'' Reuters SI GC0949