All Dem. Senators voted YEA for the last Iraq funding in April

[concerned citizen23]

I noticed something interesting about the last vote for Emergency Funding for the war in Iraq on April 25, 2007 (H.R.1591)

All 51 YEA votes were cast by the Democrats (Including Obama, Feingold, Reid)
45 of the 46 Nays were cast by Republicans - Lieberman as an independent was the 46th Nay

http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00147

Despite how it is being characterized by the Democrats that Republicans have obstructed efforts to end the war, at least with this last funding measure in April, the numbers tell a different story.

With the original measure that authorized the US to use force against Iraq (H.R. Res. 114) on October 11, 2002, it shook out like this:

26 of the 47 Democrats voted Yea for the war, 21 Voted Nay
Out of 52 Republicans 51 voted Yea and 1 voted Nay
1 independent (Jeffords VT) voted Nay

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00237

[Clintonista2]

1. But...But... Obama's been "against the war from the start"... or did he just not even bother to vote

[rinsd]

3. Don't fall for this.

The OP is trying to say the Democrats are responsible for the war by deliberately mischaracterizing what the bill says.

[brentspeak]

10. Exactly

The site is being played with, yet again.

[rinsd]

2. That the GOP didn't vote for it should have been your 1st clue.

The funding included oversight measures the GOP didn't like in additional to redployment.

That bill also raised minimum wage and gave additional Katrina relief as well as

Kind puts a damper on your they're all the same campaign you've been waging here.

[illinoisprogressive]

4. many dems are caught in a rock/hard place. vote yes and send the funding

needed for the troops and no, and no funding. problem is that bush will not bring troops home. he'll make them stay without the needed things like food, body armour, ect. So, they have had a hard time doing the right thing.

[lateo]

8. The troops are between a rock and a harder place.

It is time to bring them home. No more support for the war.

[Mass]

13. Which is actually what the bill was trying to do, hence the NO vote of the GOP.

Amazing how some of you think that the GOP is better than the Dems without even bothering to know what it is about!

[lateo]

14. Amazing how you jump to conclusions.

26 of the 47 Democrats voted Yea for the war. Why didn't they all vote for it?

[Mass]

15. Not what I was talking about - I was talking about the bill that the OP attacks and for which his

premise is faulty. And then, he praises the GOP and as far as I can see, you agree with him.

(What does the IWR has to do with this post anyway?).

[jmp]

18. There is no evidence to support the assertion ...

That Bush will leave the troops in Iraq to get slaughtered. That is a convenient excuse that the congressional Democratic leadership use to cover their asses for not doing what they were elected to do.

Bush lied. Congressional Democrats lied too.

[rodeodance]

5. I do not think you have the right bill as this deals with VA, border secturity etc.

[rinsd]

6. No, the OP needed a bill only Dems supported and the GOP voted against...

...that vaguely had to do with Iraq so the OP could prove that there is no difference between the parties.

[rodeodance]

7. why do I waste my time!

[brentspeak]

9. You are indeed "concerned", that's for sure.

[Mass]

11. Do you even know why the GOP voted against this bill?

http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=273181

The bill was fixing a deadline for the troops in Iraq and was vetoed by Bush exactly for this reason. Granted this is not what many of us would have wanted, but it was actually doing something that would have forced Bush to change course and this is why the GOP tried to block it.

http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=273454

[Inuca]

16. It's much easier to just

check out the title and the roll calls. Information? We need no damn' information! Brain and reason? Not needed much either... Attacking and blaming is SO MUCH FUN!

[Mass]

12. delete ...

[concerned citizen23]

17. Must read: setting the record straight:

First, the “OP” is not “messing” w DU site.

As Mass pointed out in their “Do you know why the Republicans voted against this bill” it originally started out with an October 1 withdrawal time table.

After discovering all the Democrats had voted for HR1591 while the Republicans voted against it I was extremely puzzled as to why and could not recall the details of the events leading up to the vote. So I dug through the news reports and reconstructed the following:

The first draft of the bill had provisions for an October 1 withdrawal timetable. It was this bill that was vetoed by Bush and that he and Congress re-negotiated a “second war funding bill…with Democrats offering the first major concession: an agreement to drop their demand for a timeline to bring troops home from Iraq.”

To answer a few of the comments posted here:
This is the correct bill in that among the additional Iraq funding appropriations - up through the end of September 2007 - other appropriations along with VA, military and prison salary, plus Katrina appropriations were made.

I am not praising either party as many members of both parties have been complicit in their role with Iraq and although the Republicans hold the larger degree of responsibility too many Democrats have rolled along.

I apologize for a premature post and will make it a point to do better due diligence in the future.

News time line of HR 1591

Democrats Back Down on Iraq Timetable
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050307K.shtml
House Fails to Override Bush on Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050207S.shtml
Democrats Start Post-Veto Blitz
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050207T.shtml
Pelosi: Congress Will Not Give the President a Blank Check http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050207K.shtml
Bush Vetoes War Spending Bill
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050107Z.shtml
Democrats Send Iraq Timeline to Bush
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050107R.shtml
Senate Votes to Bring Troops Home
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042607R.shtml
House OKs Iraq Troop Withdrawal Bill
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042607K.shtml
Democrats Predict They Can Win Iraq Vote
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042507K.shtml
Democrats to Push March 31 Iraq War Withdrawal
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042407K.shtml
Reid: Congress Will Endorse Iraq Pullout
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042307I.shtml
Democrats Stand Firm on Iraq War Legislation
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041907C.shtml
Reid: US Can't Win the War in Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042007N.shtml
Ray McGovern | Is Cheney Right? Will Democrats Cave on Iraq Funding?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041607R.shtml
Murtha: Two-Month Iraq Spending Bill "Very Likely"
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042107Y.shtml
Levin: Senate Won't Withhold Iraq Funds
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040807A.shtml
New Perspective, New Unity Among Hill Democrats on Iraq http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040107G.shtml
Reid May Move to Cut Iraq War Funds
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040307P.shtml
Top Democrat: "Do Not Yield to White House on Iraq"
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041307K.shtml
Robert Parry | Bush/Cheney Dig In to Win
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041707D.shtml