Wavering Republican Casts Doubt on Democrat’s Iraq Bill

[Snowden]

Wavering Republican Casts Doubt on Democrat’s Iraq Bill
By CARL HULSE and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: September 19, 2007

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 — The legislation that Senate Democrats viewed as their best hope for challenging the conduct of the war suffered a setback on Tuesday as a senior Republican who is influential on military policy told colleagues that he was reconsidering his earlier support for the proposal.

The potential change of heart by Senator John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia, could sap momentum from the push by Democrats to win the 60 votes they need to secure passage of the plan drafted by Senator Jim Webba Virginia Democrat.

Mr. Warner voted in July for the Webb proposal, which would require that American troops have as much time at home as they spend overseas before being redeployed. Even with Mr. Warner’s support, Democrats would need to win over at least three more Republicans for a chance at passage when the proposal comes up for a vote again, perhaps as soon as Wednesday.

Mr. Webb’s proposal, an amendment to the annual defense policy bill, is being strongly opposed by the Pentagon as an intrusion in complex troop deployment schedules. Mr. Warner, during a Republican Party luncheon, said he was rethinking his support given President Bush’s plan to withdraw at least some troops from Iraq this year.

Republican officials said that after extensive conversations with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Mr. Warner had concluded that he could not support Mr. Webb’s plan in its current form.

An aide to Mr. Warner would only say that the senator was still in discussions about the measure. “Senator Warner is in continuing consultation with senators on both sides of the aisle and with the Department of Defense relative to the Webb amendment,” said his chief of staff, Carter Cornick.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican moderate who supports the Webb proposal, said she believed opposition from Mr. Warner would make it difficult if not impossible for Democrats to pick up the Republican votes needed to prevent a filibuster.

“Senator Warner’s voice carries a lot of weight with the caucus and I think his decision to oppose Senator Webb’s amendment may very well stem the tide of support,” said Ms. Collins, who said she was not changing her position.

But other Republicans who previously voted against the Webb plan, including Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said they were still open to supporting it. “I’m seriously considering it,” Ms. Murkowski said after the luncheon.

With the Senate expected to consider the Webb plan soon, the sponsor, a freshman Democrat who once served as Navy secretary, said he still hoped to secure Mr. Warner’s support.

“I still have hopes he is going to vote with us,” said Mr. Webb, who said he believed that potential Republican backers of his plan were coming under considerable pressure from the Bush administration and the party leadership to deny Democrats a victory. “I think they are getting very heavily whipped on the other side.”

Both Democrats and Republicans had expressed a belief that Mr. Webb’s proposal had the best chance of success, especially given its strong appeal among military families.

Indeed, the Webb proposal was the first on a list of four measures that Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said the Senate was prepared to debate over the next two weeks.

But most Republicans did not seem inclined to join with Democrats in the wake of last week’s testimony by Gen. David H. Petraeus. And Mr. Reid suggested Tuesday that there appeared to be little chance of finding consensus.

“I think they want it to be the Republican Senate’s war, not just Bush’s,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/washington/19cong.html