Posted on 03/18/2004 10:18:36 AM PST by Pyro7480
House Iraq Resolution Turns Into Debate
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The House on Wednesday approved a simple four-point resolution praising U.S. troops and the Iraqi people on the first anniversary of the war in Iraq (news - web sites), but only after a raucous debate over whether the war was warranted and had made the world a safer place.
Democrats said the Republican-written measure was aimed at endorsing President Bush (news - web sites)'s flawed policies, while Republicans said the removal of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) was an unequivocal victory in the war against terrorism.
The measure passed 327-93, with numerous Democrats displeased with the way it was crafted, saying they voted yes as a show of support for American troops.
It "really sends a message to the world that this country stands resolute in celebration of the first anniversary of our commitment to Iraq," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
But Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., spoke of the "hypocrisy and inconsistency" of the Republicans in honoring American troops while advancing a budget that Democrats say doesn't provide enough for military operations in Iraq.
The measure was subject to some six hours of debate. It listed the acts of crimes and terrorism perpetrated by the Saddam regime, and it concluded with four points:
_The world has been made safer by Saddam's demise.
_The House commends the Iraqi people for their courage in the face of Saddam's oppression.
_The House commends Iraqis for adopting an interim constitution.
_The House commends U.S. and coalition forces for their valiant service.
"Americans should be proud that we are again confronting an evil threat to the Western world. We should be proud of our president and proud of our soldiers," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.
Democrats stressed their gratitude to the troops but questioned the idea that the military action in Iraq had reduced threats from America's enemies. "Our mission in Iraq has not been accomplished," said Democratic Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland. "Even as we speak here, a car bomb has rocked Baghdad and killed more than 20 people."
Democrats also were angry that the resolution was written by Republicans without any Democratic input. "I'm indignant, I'm insulted and I'm embarrassed," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a defense expert who normally works closely with pro-defense Republicans. He voted against the resolution.
Democrats wanted to offer a substitute bill stating that "a final judgment on the value of activities in Iraq cannot be made until Iraq is stable and secure." They also wanted to add language assuring that troops in Iraq would receive the armored vehicles they need to keep them safe and urging the president to "take steps to correct the failure of the United States government to plan adequately for the postwar occupation of Iraq."
"The American people have not sent us here just to be an amen chorus for this administration. There are serious problems and we should be debating serious solutions," said Rep. Tom Lantos of California, top Democrat on the House International Relations Committee.
Outside the Capitol, opponents of the Iraqi operation, including military families, rallied against administration policies. "Our message to Congress today is clear: spare us the platitudes, the pious rhetoric, the empty slogans. Give us the truth," said Sue Niederer, of Pennington, N.J., whose 24-year-old son, Dvorin, was killed in Iraq in February.
But Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., countered that U.S. action had "brought freedom for tens of millions, toppled one of the most despicable regimes in the history of the world and strengthened the national security for the American people."
He said Republicans simply wanted to congratulate the troops. "I don't understand why there is any controversy."
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The resolution is H.Res. 557.
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On the Net:
Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov/
a final judgment on the value of Clinton's Kosovo policy is being made at this very moment
| Ayes | Noes | PRES | NV | |
| Republican | 222 | 2 | 4 | |
| Democratic | 105 | 90 | 7 | 3 |
| Independent | 1 | |||
| TOTALS | 327 | 93 | 7 | 7 |
| Aderholt Akin Alexander Allen Andrews Baca Bachus Baird Baker Ballenger Barrett (SC) Bartlett (MD) Barton (TX) Bass Beauprez Bereuter Berkley Berman Berry Biggert Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Bishop (UT) Blackburn Blunt Boehlert Boehner Bonilla Bonner Bono Boozman Boswell Boucher Boyd Bradley (NH) Brady (TX) Brown (OH) Brown (SC) Brown-Waite, Ginny Burgess Burns Burr Burton (IN) Buyer Calvert Camp Cannon Cantor Capito Capuano Cardin Cardoza Carson (OK) Carter Case Castle Chabot Chandler Chocola Coble Cole Collins Cooper Costello Cox Cramer Crane Crenshaw Crowley Cubin Culberson Cunningham Davis (FL) Davis (TN) Davis, Jo Ann Davis, Tom Deal (GA) DeFazio DeLauro DeLay DeMint Deutsch Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Dicks Dingell Doggett Dooley (CA) Doolittle Dreier Duncan Dunn Edwards Ehlers Emanuel Emerson Engel English Etheridge Everett Feeney Ferguson Flake Foley Forbes Ford Fossella Franks (AZ) |
Frelinghuysen Frost Gallegly Garrett (NJ) Gephardt Gerlach Gibbons Gilchrest Gillmor Gingrey Gonzalez Goode Goodlatte Gordon Goss Granger Graves Green (TX) Green (WI) Greenwood Gutknecht Hall Harman Harris Hart Hastert Hastings (WA) Hayes Hayworth Hefley Hensarling Herger Hill Hinojosa Hobson Hoekstra Holden Holt Hooley (OR) Hostettler Houghton Hoyer Hulshof Hunter Hyde Inslee Isakson Israel Issa Istook Jenkins John Johnson (CT) Johnson (IL) Johnson, Sam Jones (NC) Jones (OH) Kaptur Keller Kelly Kennedy (MN) Kennedy (RI) Kildee Kind King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kirk Kline Knollenberg Kolbe LaHood Lampson Langevin Larsen (WA) Latham LaTourette Lewis (CA) Lewis (KY) Linder Lipinski LoBiondo Lowey Lucas (KY) Lucas (OK) Lynch Manzullo Marshall Matheson McCarthy (NY) McCotter McCrery McHugh McInnis McIntyre McKeon McNulty Menendez Mica Michaud Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller (NC) Miller, Gary Moore Moran (KS) Murphy Musgrave Myrick |
Napolitano Neal (MA) Nethercutt Neugebauer Ney Northup Norwood Nunes Nussle Ortiz Osborne Ose Otter Oxley Pascrell Pearce Pence Peterson (MN) Peterson (PA) Petri Pickering Pitts Platts Pombo Pomeroy Porter Portman Price (NC) Pryce (OH) Putnam Quinn Radanovich Ramstad Regula Rehberg Renzi Reyes Reynolds Rodriguez Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Ros-Lehtinen Ross Royce Ruppersberger Ryan (OH) Ryan (WI) Ryun (KS) Sandlin Saxton Schiff Schrock Scott (GA) Sensenbrenner Sessions Shadegg Shaw Shays Sherman Shimkus Shuster Simpson Skelton Slaughter Smith (MI) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Snyder Souder Spratt Stearns Stenholm Strickland Stupak Sullivan Sweeney Tancredo Tanner Taylor (MS) Taylor (NC) Terry Thomas Thompson (MS) Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Toomey Turner (OH) Turner (TX) Udall (CO) Upton Vitter Walden (OR) Walsh Wamp Weiner Weldon (FL) Weller Whitfield Wicker Wilson (NM) Wilson (SC) Wolf Wu Wynn Young (AK) Young (FL) |
| Abercrombie Ackerman Baldwin Ballance Becerra Bell Blumenauer Brady (PA) Brown, Corrine Capps Clay Clyburn Conyers Cummings Davis (IL) DeGette Delahunt Doyle Eshoo Evans Farr Fattah Filner Frank (MA) Grijalva Gutierrez Hastings (FL) Hinchey Honda Jackson (IL) Jackson-Lee (TX) |
Jefferson Kanjorski Kilpatrick Kleczka Larson (CT) Leach Lee Levin Lewis (GA) Lofgren Majette Maloney Markey Matsui McCarthy (MO) McCollum McDermott McGovern Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Millender-McDonald Miller, George Mollohan Moran (VA) Murtha Nadler Oberstar Obey Olver Owens Pallone |
Pastor Paul Payne Pelosi Rahall Rangel Rothman Roybal-Allard Rush Sabo Sánchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sanders Schakowsky Scott (VA) Serrano Solis Stark Tauscher Thompson (CA) Tierney Towns Udall (NM) Van Hollen Velázquez Visclosky Waters Watson Watt Wexler Woolsey |
| Carson (IN) Davis (AL) Davis (CA) |
Johnson, E. B. Lantos Meehan |
Waxman |
| Hoeffel Kucinich Sherwood |
Simmons Smith (WA) Tauzin |
Weldon (PA) |
And let's not forget about that great "conservative" Ron Paul, right there with them.
Not only the CBC, but the entire CA BayArea Dems voted against praising the Troops as well -- but that is just par for the course.
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