In some Sept. 19 editions, the headlines on an A-section article about Senate Democrats' efforts to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq were inaccurate. The headline "Democrats' Iraq Push on Hold" should have specified that a bipartisan effort had been abandoned. The headline "Reid Plans Spring Effort to Set June 2008 Pullout Deadline" inaccurately refers to an effort in spring 2008 that, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid's spokesman Jim Manley, is not planned.
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Democrats' Iraq Push on Hold
Sen. James Webb (D-Va.), shown at a hearing last week, proposes extending home stays for combat troops.
(By Nikki Kahn -- The Washington Post)
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Despite the lack of consensus in Congress, the war in Iraq remains deeply unpopular. A poll released yesterday by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 54 percent believe U.S. forces should be brought home as soon as possible, a level unchanged since July.
That view is affecting the perception of even veteran politicians in deeply Republican states. A poll released by the Lexington Herald-Leader yesterday found Kentucky voters split on the performance of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), with 47 percent approving and 44 percent disapproving. Fifty-five percent disapproved of McConnell's position on Iraq.
Senators from both parties met yesterday morning to try to coalesce around one of two bipartisan amendments to shift course in Iraq. One, deemed "weak tea" by Reid, would adopt the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, which was led by former secretary of state James A. Baker III, a Republican, and former congressman Lee H. Hamilton (D-Ind.).
Reid said yesterday that the Iraq Study Group's proposal would have to be strengthened to gain Democratic support.
The other bipartisan offer on the table, written by Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), would require an immediate shift of mission in Iraq away from combat toward border security, counterterrorism and the training of Iraqi security forces. Collins said a number of senators from both parties began exploring whether the two measures could be melded into one that could attract at least 60 votes.
Those conversations are to continue today as senators try to find amendments to introduce next week. "That is the way forward," Collins said.
Staff writer Jonathan Weisman contributed to this report.
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