Senate Democrats press on with doomed war legislation

WASHINGTON -- On Wednesday, Republicans blocked legislation that would have guaranteed troops more time at home. On Thursday, the Senate voted 28-70 to block legislation that would have cut off combat funding in June 2008.

Why are Senate Democrats pressing legislation they know will fail? It's part of a bid to show the public that Republicans, along with President Bush, now own the war.

"They want this war more than they want to protect our soldiers," Majority Leader Harry Reid said. "They want to protect their president more than they want to protect our troops."

Reid spoke minutes after Republicans successfully pushed through, by a 72-25 vote, a resolution condemning an advertisement by the liberal activist group MoveOn.org. Displayed in The New York Times, the ad taunted Gen. David Petraeus, top military commander in Iraq, as "General Betray Us."

Wednesday's bill would have required troops to spend as much time at home training with their units as they spend deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Members of the National Guard or Reserve would be guaranteed three years at home before being sent back. Most Army soldiers now spend about 15 months in combat with 12 months home. But the bill failed by a 56-44 margin -- four shy of the 60 needed.

Reid's tough rhetoric reflected frustration by Democrats that more Republicans haven't broken with Bush on the war. Several Republican senators had grown increasingly anxious throughout the summer about the violence in Iraq and lack of political progress in Baghdad. But despite a few challengers to the war, the GOP largely has stood behind Bush.

Reid planned to try again today with another anti-war proposal that would order combat troops home in nine months. But that too was expected to fail, with Republicans saying they still opposed setting a firm deadline.