The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday passed a nonbinding resolution that concludes "it is not in the national interest of the United States" to deepen U.S. military involvement in Iraq.
The measure, passed on a 12-9 vote, goes to the Senate floor for a vote before the full chamber, which is expected sometime next week.
[...]
Some Republicans agree that the president's plan seems unlikely to make a significant step toward reducing sectarian violence in Iraq and finding a political solution, but several Republicans said the resolution sent the wrong message.
"I oppose this nonbinding resolution on the basis that it's the wrong tool" for Congress to use to get the president to change his policy, said Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., ranking member on the panel. Lugar admitted he is "not confident that President Bush's plan will succeed."
"It is unclear to me how passing a nonbinding resolution that the president has already said he will ignore will contribute to any improvement or modification of our Iraq policy," Lugar continued. "The president is deeply invested in this plan, and the deployments ... have already begun."
Republican Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he didn't support the resolution because he didn't believe it would affect administration policy, and he believed it wouldn't give troops the right message.
"So, in essence, what I'll be doing the next time if I see them, if I vote for this resolution, is to say: I'm opposed to you being there, but thank you for what you're doing," Corker said.
Read the rest here.
It was expected and although the report uses the words republicans, actually only one republican voted for it and you have three guesses and the first two do not count on WHO the one republican was.
Hagel of course.
Hat Tip to Hot Air, N.Z. Bear has a petition started, quite a few signatures already!
The petition states:
If the United States Senate passes a resolution, non-binding or otherwise, that criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged, and if the Senate does so after the testimony of General Petraeus on January 23 that such a resolution will be an encouragement to the enemy, I will not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. Further, if any Republican senator who votes for such a resolution is a candidate for re-election in 2008, I will not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless the Chairman of that Committee, Senator Ensign, commits in writing that none of the funds of the NRSC will go to support the re-election of any senator supporting the non-binding resolution.
Head on over and sign it.
N.Z. Bear also supplies the contact information for us:
Please call your Senator directly and express your views. In addition, we suggest you contact the following key Senators:
Senator McConnell, Lott and Kyl are the three senior GOP senators. Try each of their offices at 202-225-3121.
Senator Ensign is chair of the National Republican senatorial Committee. His number is 202-675-6000.
The senators most likely to rethink their support for such a resolution after the testimony by General Petraeus that such a resolution would be an encouragement to our enemy are Minnesota's Norm Coleman, Maine's Susan Collins and Oregon's Gordon Smith. All three are serious senators and good people, but they need to rethink possible support for the resolution in light of the Petraeus testimony and the president's speech last night. Senator Coleman's office number is (202) 224-5641. Senator Smith's office number is (202) 224-3753. Senator Collins' office number is (202) 224-2523.
Head over to Gateway Pundit, he has a chart and some comments you should see.
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