Richard Tafoya
Feb 11th, 2007, 11:15 PM
LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-warvote12feb12,0,6933324.story?coll=la-home-headlines
As the House this week launches its first major debate over the Iraq war since the November elections, Democrats are counting on many Republicans to join them in passing a resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup.
Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, a Maryland Republican, predicts that 30 to 60 of his colleagues will back the nonbinding resolution, which would be the strongest repudiation of Bush's Iraq policy from Republicans since the war began nearly four years ago.
Opponents of the troop increase include Republicans who, until now, have stood with the president. Amid continuing turmoil in Baghdad and rising casualty figures, anxiety about the White House strategy in Iraq has been building among GOP lawmakers, and many of them blame it for their party's loss of control of Congress.
"Many of us have just watched this thing unfold and see nothing changing," said Gilchrest, whose largely rural district has lost 23 service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. "You face the families and you have to have something to tell them."
The debate, likely to be highly emotional, begins Tuesday and is expected to last three to four days. Each of the House's 435 members will be given five minutes to speak.
The resolution will express support for the U.S. military personnel in harm's way, while opposing adding 21,500 troops to the 132,000 already in Iraq. A Senate vote on a similar resolution has been held up in a partisan dispute over debate rules.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-warvote12feb12,0,6933324.story?coll=la-home-headlines
As the House this week launches its first major debate over the Iraq war since the November elections, Democrats are counting on many Republicans to join them in passing a resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup.
Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, a Maryland Republican, predicts that 30 to 60 of his colleagues will back the nonbinding resolution, which would be the strongest repudiation of Bush's Iraq policy from Republicans since the war began nearly four years ago.
Opponents of the troop increase include Republicans who, until now, have stood with the president. Amid continuing turmoil in Baghdad and rising casualty figures, anxiety about the White House strategy in Iraq has been building among GOP lawmakers, and many of them blame it for their party's loss of control of Congress.
"Many of us have just watched this thing unfold and see nothing changing," said Gilchrest, whose largely rural district has lost 23 service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. "You face the families and you have to have something to tell them."
The debate, likely to be highly emotional, begins Tuesday and is expected to last three to four days. Each of the House's 435 members will be given five minutes to speak.
The resolution will express support for the U.S. military personnel in harm's way, while opposing adding 21,500 troops to the 132,000 already in Iraq. A Senate vote on a similar resolution has been held up in a partisan dispute over debate rules.