House Rebukes Bush on Iraq

Still, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) noted, yesterday's House vote marked the first time Republicans in significant numbers have broken with Bush on the war. The 17 dissidents included longtime GOP foes of the war, such as Reps. Walter B. Jones (N.C.) and Ron Paul (Tex.), but also low-key backbenchers such as Reps. Timothy V. Johnson (Ill.) and Fred Upton (Mich.), staunch conservatives such as Reps. Bob Inglis (S.C.) and Howard Coble (N.C.), and moderates who usually stick with the leadership, such as Reps. Mark Steven Kirk (Ill.) and Phil English (Pa.).

Locally, Reps. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.) and Wayne T. Gilchrest (Md.) voted for the resolution, along with all of Maryland's and Virginia's Democrats.

Just two Democrats, Reps. Jim Marshall (Ga.) and Gene Taylor (Miss.) voted against the measure.

In contrast, a two-day debate in June over a pro-Bush Iraq war resolution drafted by House Republicans ended with 42 Democrats joining the Republicans. Just three Republicans broke rank then.

On Oct. 10, 2002, the House voted 296 to 133 to authorize Bush to go to war with Iraq, with 81 Democrats joining 215 Republicans to pass the measure.

GOP leaders said they did not pressure any of their members in yesterday's vote, nor did they count votes ahead of time. But behind the scenes, "there was tremendous pressure from the White House," said Davis, who added that he was bombarded with facts and information sheets pressing for a "no" vote.

A senior Republican lawmaker said that, at the start of the week, the GOP leadership expected to lose upward of 50 members, but that number dropped into the mid-30s by the middle of the week. After Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) went public with his plans to curtail troop deployments, the number dropped down into the teens, settling at 17 by the vote on Friday.

"I think Murtha absolutely exposed them for what they are," Cantor said. The longer the debate went on, he said, the more GOP leaders felt that their side was firming up against the resolution. "Murtha's announcement did it for us," Cantor added. "There was clearly a significant shift in the debate."

With public opinion turning firmly against the war, the Democrats believe they were in a no-lose situation politically. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, reiterated a well-worn attack line when he said that Republicans had "rubber-stamped the president's failed policies in Iraq."

"There are a lot of people who clearly didn't get the message that the American people sent in the last election," he said. "Every constituent has a right to know where their members stood on this issue, and every constituent will know."

Democrats in the Senate face a similar political dynamic. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said yesterday that most Republicans will block a debate on the House-passed resolution until they are guaranteed a vote on a resolution opposing any effort to cut off funding for the war. He predicted that Democrats will muster nowhere near the 60 votes they would need today to move to a debate on the resolution opposing additional troop deployments.

Many Republicans will not bother to show up in the rare Saturday session. Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) will be campaigning for president in Iowa. A Democratic counterpart, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), will be campaigning in South Carolina.

Democratic aides said that will only mean another round of newspaper headlines proclaiming that Republicans are blocking a debate on the war.

"Let us be clear," Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said, "anyone voting 'no' tomorrow is voting to give the president a green light to escalate the war."

Washingtonpost.com staff writer Paul Kane contributed to this report.