The bill, which would extend to intelligence agencies the anti-torture prohibitions in the Army Field Manual, just passed 222-199. Speaker Pelosi's blog has the specifics.
Two weeks ago, General David Petraeus testified before Congress that sectarian violence in Iraq is decreasing. But the Washington Post has published new evidence challenging the way that the U.S. military is analyzing and tallying each civilian death in Iraq.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement after President Bush spoke today on many issues, including the war in Iraq
After Stephanie wrote below about the pro-troop Webb amendment, which would guarantee longer rest periods for troops between deployments, news came that there's going to be an apparent toothless McCain-Warner proposal that's simply a "sense of the Senate" type resolution.
This afternoon, with the 2-week debate beginning for the defense authorization bill, Democrats will push to bring the war in Iraq to an end. It begins with the Jim Webb Troop-Readiness Amendment, which is being introduced today in the Senate.
With the Senate recently completing their 100th work day, it's worth taking a look at all they have already done to improve the lives of Americans. Unlike the do-nothing Republican Congress they replaced, Democrats have already pursued a positive agenda and gotten things done on ethics reform, minimum wage, energy independence, eduction, health care, homeland security, veterans, and Iraq.
There's big news in the Senate. By a 51-47 vote, the emergency spending bill including troop withdrawal language passed. The New York Times has more:
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement following the Senate vote to change course in Iraq
With the civil war in Iraq spiraling out of control, the Senate voted for a troop withdrawal deadline for American combat troops. The language will remain in the Senate version of the emergency spending bill that recently passed in the House of Representatives. President Bush promised a veto of the bill.
Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats have introduced legislation that would hold the Iraqi government accountable to meet benchmarks while calling for the redeployment of U.S. combat troops by a specific date. The legislation would also expand funding for veterans' health care and meet troop readiness standards so that they aren't sent in without the proper training.
Reid: “For nearly four years, the Republican-controlled Senate stood silent on the President's flawed Iraq policies and watched as the situation deteriorated into a civil war. The American people have chosen to change course. Democrats have chosen to change course....
In keeping with the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, some lawmakers in Washington seek to make the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board more independent from the president.
As the Bush administration continues to escalate the civil war in Iraq with tens of thousands of additional troops, the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee took the first step in their opposition with a resolution declaring the escalation "not in the national interest."
