Inside the Vote to Fund War, Rebuilding

All of this unfolded against the backdrop of the Democratic primaries, when former Vermont governor Howard Dean surged in the polls on an antiwar appeal. Kerry said he would vote against Bush's request unless it was amended to roll back some of Bush's tax cuts and include other nations in sharing the financial burden of reconstruction.

In the end, House and Senate negotiators dropped the loan provision and the House and Senate overwhelmingly voted to approve the package. In the Senate, 11 Democrats, including Kerry and Edwards, voted no.

That tortured path to passage does not absolve Kerry of his responsibility to the troops or his inconsistencies, Schmidt said.

"This is a defining issue in this race because through this one issue, we are able to see John Kerry's chronic vacillations, indecision and political gamesmanship with regard to the war on terror," he said.

Before the final vote, Kerry was asked on CBS's "Face The Nation" how he would vote on the $87 billion package if his amendment to raise taxes failed.

"I don't think any United States senator is going to abandon our troops and recklessly leave Iraq to -- to whatever follows as a result of simply cutting and running. That's irresponsible," Kerry replied, a quote used often by the Bush campaign.

"John Kerry is the only member of the United State Senate who said a vote against funding would be irresponsible, then preceded to vote against it," said Christine Iverson, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.

But in that televised exchange, Kerry continued: "What is responsible is for the administration to do this properly now. And I am laying out the way in which the administration could unite the American people, could bring other countries to the table, and I think could give the American people a sense that they're on the right track."

Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said there was no inconsistency at all in Kerry's position.

"If he was trying to take the careful route, he would have voted for the $87 billion in the end," she said. "What he was trying to do was stand on principle, and the principle was to pay for it."

Republicans who fought Bush on the package said they still believe the president was wrong to oppose the loan package. Indeed, they said, Bush's stance could be a significant political liability. But they also said Kerry's ultimate vote against the package is fair game.

"Most Americans would have supported a loan versus grant, but most would have voted for money for the troops in the end, regardless of these side issues," Graham said. "There's no way around this. John Kerry lost on a tax vote. He could have said, 'All right, I lost,' then voted for the troops, but he didn't. I really think the Kerry-Edwards vote says a lot about the way they play politics."