Friday, December 16, 2005

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate demanded regular reports on the progress of the war in Iraq on Tuesday but rejected a Democratic plan to require the Bush administration to lay out a timeline for a U.S. withdrawal.Senators voted 79-19 to add language to a $491 billion Pentagon spending bill that declares 2006 to be "a period of significant transition" for Iraq and calls on the Bush administration "to explain to Congress and the American people its strategy for the successful completion of the mission in Iraq."The measure was drafted largely by Democrats, but GOP leaders removed language that would have called for a flexible timetable for a possible American pullout from Iraq.But because its stated purpose was "to clarify and recommend changes" to U.S. policy in Iraq, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid called its adoption a vote of "no confidence" in the administration and said "staying the course will not do.""The administration's strategy is aimless, and sadly, it's rudderless," said Reid, a Nevada Democrat. "[The vote is] a victory for our troops and the American people."But Sen. John Warner, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, rejected Reid's characterization of the amendment as any sort of confidence vote. He said White House aides were consulted on the language, even if they did not "formally bless this."The measure was attached to a spending bill that senators approved unanimously Tuesday afternoon. Warner, a Virginia Republican, said its message was largely aimed at Iraq's fledgling government, which he said needs "to take a stronger, take-charge action" once a permanent parliament is elected in December."The coalition forces, most particularly the United States and Great Britain, have done their job," he said. "Now we expect in return that they take charge of their nation and run it and form a democracy and prevent any vestige of a civil war from taking place."Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the Pentagon already sends numerous reports to Congress about the progress of the war but that the lawmakers' push for more information was understandable.He said the withdrawal of U.S. troops will depend on when Iraqi forces can take their place, "and already some responsibilities are being assumed by the Iraqi security forces.""We must be careful not to give terrorists the false hope that if they can simply hold out long enough that they can outlast us," he said.The vote took place amid renewed acrimony over the war, a slump in public support for the conflict -- which has taken more than 2,000 U.S. lives -- and new questions about the Bush administration's arguments that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was necessary. The White House has pushed back by attacking Democratic critics of its case, noting that many of them -- including Reid -- voted to authorize military action against Iraq in 2002. Rumsfeld waded into the dispute Tuesday, citing Clinton administration statements that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, ousted in 2003, would have rebuilt his weapons programs if left alone. He said President Bush launched the war in Iraq based on "the same information that President Clinton and the previous administration had.""It's the same information members of the House and Senate had. It's the same information that the other intelligence services had," he said."People who are willing to risk their lives need to know the truth," Rumsfeld said. "They need to understand that they are there based on decisions that were made in good faith, by responsible people, and that this world is going to be a lot better off with Saddam Hussein gone and with that country on a path toward democracy."But Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin mocked Rumsfeld for quoting Clinton administration officials, saying, "What is wrong with this picture?""This administration portrayed a situation in Iraq that was not true. It was not accurate," said Durbin, an Illinois Democrat. "They need to be held accountable. We're going to continue to press forward on this."Democrats shuttered the Senate to the public earlier this month to demand that it complete an investigation into how policymakers used intelligence about Iraq to argue for the invasion. Previous reports have said there was no evidence that political pressure skewed the intelligence, but those did not address how the administration made its case."We hope before the end of the week the Senate Intelligence Committee will reach an agreement to move forward in this important phase of the intelligence investigation," Durbin told reporters.The Senate backed the Bush administration's military tribunals for foreign terror suspects, but defied the White House by imposing standards for the treatment of prisoners in U.S. military custody, according to The Associated Press.The Senate last month voted 90-9 to include the amendment, sponsored by Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, that bars "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" of prisoners. (Full story)White House spokesman Scott McClellan had said that Bush would likely veto the bill if McCain's language were included, calling the amendment "unnecessary and duplicative."The measure was not included in the House version of the Pentagon spending bill.In a bipartisan compromise, senators voted 84-14 to support the use of military tribunals for prisoners at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but to allow the detainees to appeal their status and sentences in a federal court, the AP reported.Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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