Supporters of a nonbinding resolution criticizing President Bush's decision to deploy an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq were not able to get the number of votes needed to advance the Senate version of the measure on Saturday, according to The Associated Press.
Fifty-six senators voted in favor of the resolution, four less than what was needed to move the resolution forward. The House of Representatives passed an identical version of the resolution Friday by a margin of 246-182, according to USA Today.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters soon after the vote that while the resolution would not move forward, a majority of senators had supported it, according to the AP.
"A majority of the United States Senate is against the escalation in Iraq," Reid said. "As for the Republicans who chose once again to block further debate and protect President Bush, the American people now know they support the escalation."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said many Republicans' main reason for not voting for the resolution centered on the fact that it did not rule out the possibility of defunding the war, according to the AP.
"There is no place for chicanery at a time of war," McConnell said. "Even some of the president's most strident opponents know that. They know that the only vote that truly matters is a vote on whether to fund the troops"
