Democrats dealt Senate blow
Bad news for Democrats on Capitol Hill
Thursday, 20, Sep 2007 09:43
Pressure on United States president George Bush over troops in Iraq diminished last night as Senate Democrats failed to push through a bill on the issue.
The proposed legislation would have seen troops get as much time at home as they do while deployed.
But it failed to get the 60 votes it needed to progress, with 56 voting in favour and 44 against.
It has been perceived as the latest attempt by the Democrat-controlled Congress to seek troop withdrawals from Iraq, with Republican presidential candidate John McCain describing it as a "backdoor measure".
A spokesperson for Democrat majority leader Harry Reid admitted to the New York Times that "it became evident that Republicans were not willing to break with the president."
Disconsolate Democrats are now considering how to move forward in their opposition to the Iraq issue.
Although they won last November's midterm elections on the divisive issue they have struggled to influence the White House's policy. Mr Bush vetoed a previous bill tying troop withdrawals to extra funding earlier in the year.
The development comes despite a much-anticipated report on the 'troop surge' policy last Friday which found the Iraqi government was failing to meet nine of its 18 targets.
Mr Bush said there were signs of success in the wartorn Middle Eastern state, saying 5,700 soldiers would come home by Christmas as a result.