All-night debate on Iraq in US senate

US Democrats steered the Senate through an all-night session to dramatise opposition to the Iraq war but conceded they were unlikely to gain the votes needed to advance troop withdrawal legislation blocked by Republicans.

“Our enemies aren’t threatened by talk-a-thons, and our troops deserve better than publicity stunts,” said Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, last night.

McConnell and many other Republicans favour waiting until September before considering any changes to President George Bush’s current policy.

They have vowed to block a final vote on the Democrats’ attempt to require a troop withdrawal to begin within 120 days.

“We have no alternative except to keep them in session to explain their obstruction,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

He planned several votes on a measure to instruct Senate Sergeant-at-arms Terrance Gainer to “request the attendance of absent senators” in an effort to keep members near the chamber. On the first vote, senators rejected the measure 47-44. Several more tallies were expected this morning.

So far, the legislation has drawn the support of three Republicans.

With a test vote set for today – capping a day and night of debate – Democratic officials conceded they were likely to get 52 or 53 votes at most. That is well short of the 60 needed to force a final vote on the measure.

While the issue was momentous – a war now in its fifth year costing more than 3,600 US troops their lives – the proceedings were thick with politics.

MoveOn.org, the anti-war group, announced plans for more than 130 events around America to coincide with the Senate debate, part of an effort to pressure Republicans into allowing a final vote on the legislation.

A candlelight vigil and rally across the street from the Capitol was prominent among them, with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expected to attend.

Inside the Capitol, the session shaped up as the Senate’s first all-nighter since 2003. Then, as now, the Senate staff wheeled about a dozen beds into a room near the chamber for any politicians needing them.

But the political roles were reversed. Four years ago, Republicans demanded votes on Bush’s judicial nominees, and Democrats filibustered to avoid certain confirmation of several conservative appointees.

Then, Reid labelled the Republican-led all night-session a “circus”, while other Democrats stoutly defended their right to set a 60-vote threshold for confirmation.

And then, McConnell talked critically of “unprecedented filibusters of President Bush’s nominees” by Democrats, while other Republicans said they simply wanted an “up or down vote” on judicial appointments.

“Will the all-night session change any votes? I hope so,” Reid said at midafternoon, pointedly stopping well short of a prediction that it would.

The manoeuvring occurred as the Senate debated a broad defense bill that includes a pay raise for the troops, revised regulations for detaining suspects in the war on terror and an increase in the size of the Army and Marines.

Several officials said Reid might set the bill aside for weeks or months without completing it if, as expected, Republicans blocked a final vote on the withdrawal proposal.

The legislation would require a troop withdrawal to begin within 120 days, to be completed by April 2008. The measure envisions leaving an undetermined number of troops behind, their mission limited to counterterrorism against al Qaida and other groups, protecting US assets and training Iraqi troops.

There are currently an estimated 158,000 US personnel in Iraq, and supporters of the legislation have repeatedly declined to estimate how large a residual force they envision.

While most Republicans have resisted the withdrawal bill, unhappiness with Bush’s policy has been growing within party ranks.

Sens John Warner and Richard Lugar, two senior Republicans with long experience in military and foreign policy, last week proposed legislation to require Bush to submit a new strategy by October 16.

It would focus on protecting Iraqi borders, targeting terrorists, protecting US assets and training Iraqi forces.

In addition, at least six Republicans support a bipartisan measure that would set a goal of beginning a troop withdrawal in early 2008.

In the complex political environment of the Senate, neither of those two measures seems likely to gain much traction in the next few weeks.

Democratic leaders oppose them as too weak to force a change in Bush’s policy. Administration allies are determined to block any measure that contemplates a change in policy before September.