Senate votes 50 to 48 to add expiration date to Iraq war

They also want to make sure all the pork is shoved down our throats before the American public wakes up and realizes the Democrats they elected just a few months ago have totally abandonned the middle-of-the-road positions they took during the campaigns, taking a sharp turn to the left. Thank you sir may I have another.... WASHINGTON, March 27 — The Senate defeated an attempt to erase an American troop withdrawal date from an Iraq spending bill this afternoon after an emotional debate about the powers of the presidency and Congress and the well-being of front-line soldiers. By a vote of 50 to 48, the Senate allowed a withdrawal date of March 31, 2008, to remain in the $122 billion bill, which has yet to be acted upon. The majority defeated an amendment offered by Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the ranking Republican on the Appropriations Committee, that would have removed the date. The March 31, 2008, date is nonbinding, so the spending bill emerging from the Senate differs markedly from the version narrowly passed by the House last week that demanded a withdrawal by Sept. 1, 2008. Moreover, the margins in both chambers were far too narrow to override a veto promised by President Bush. Republican Senators Chuck Hagel (Nebraska) and Gordon Smith (Oregon) voted with the Democrats to pass the bill. At least we know Bush will veto it, and as of now the cut-and-run Dems don't have the votes to overturn the veto.