Before breaking for their week-long February recess, 24 congressional Republicans joined Democrats in supporting a non-binding resolution to oppose President Bush’s decision to send a surge of 21,500 troops to Iraq.
In the House, 17 Republicans broke ranks to help the Democrats pass their measure against the surge. In the Senate, seven Republicans defected in a vote for cloture on the resolution, which fell four votes short of the 60 votes needed to proceed. Nine Republicans skipped the Saturday vote all together. They were Senators Bob Bennett (Utah), Kit Bond (Mo.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Bob Corker (Tenn.), John Ensign (Nev.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), John McCain (Ariz.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).
The two-clause resolution was simple. It said:
- Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and
- Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush, announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.
This resolution is considered to be the “first step” of the Democrats’ slow-bleed strategy to drain funding for U.S. missions in Iraq. The President’s $100-billion supplemental spending bill for the war is headed for the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee—chaired by the anti-war activist Rep. John Murtha (D.). The Pennsylvania congressman has already indicated he will seek to attach specific conditions in order for the money to be released, based on specific military readiness standards. Murtha promised, “I will make recommendations in the bill that hopefully will change the direction of the war.” Murtha said he will introduce a proposal on March 15 as an attachment to the President’s supplemental in order to do this. “The hope is we will affect the surge,” he said.
HUMAN EVENTS strongly encourages readers to phone the offices of these two dozen Republicans to criticize them for supporting this resolution. Readers who call Senate offices should specifically ask why their senator supported Gen. David Petraeus, who was the chief architect of the surge strategy, to become commander of the Multinational Forces in Iraq if they oppose the surge. Petraeus was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 26.
Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.)
320 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5641
Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2523
Sen. Chuck Hagel (Neb.)
248 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4224
Sen. Gordon Smith (Ore.)
404 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3753
Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine)
154 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5344
Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.)
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4254
Sen. John Warner (Va.)
225 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2023
Rep. Michael Castle (Del.)
1233 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4165
Rep. Howard Coble (N.C.)
2468 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3065
Rep. Tom Davis (Va.)
2348 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-1492
Rep. John Duncan (Tenn.)
2207 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5435
Rep. Phil English (Pa.)
2332 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5406
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (Md.)
2245 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5311
Rep. Bob Inglis (S.C.)
330 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6030
Rep. Tim Johnson (Ill.)
1229 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2371
Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.)
2333 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-3415
Rep. Ric Keller (Fla.)
419 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2176
Rep. Mark Kirk (Ill.)
1030 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4835
Rep. Steven LaTourette (Ohio)
2371 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-5731
Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.)
203 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2831
Rep. Tom Petri (Wis.)
2462 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2476
Rep. Jim Ramstad (Minn.)
103 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2871
Rep. Fred Upton (Mich.)
2183 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3761
Rep. Jim Walsh (N.Y.)
2372 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3701
