Democrats fell far short Monday of a filibuster-proof majority to bring a nonbinding resolution on the Iraq war to a full debate on the floor of the U.S. Senate. The resolution would, among its dozen points, state the Senate’s disagreement with President George W. Bush’s plan to increase the troop level in Iraq by 21,500.

While the resolution has bipartisan support—sponsored by John Warner (R-VA) and co-sponsored by Ben Nelson (D-NE), Susan Collins (R-ME), Cark Levin (D-MI), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME)—the Republican leadership also wanted an agreement with the Democrats to bring alternative resolutions to the floor.

Without such an agreement yet in place, only two Republicans split from their party to vote with the Democrats to bring the resolution to a full debate: co-sponsor Susan Collins and Minnesota’s Norm Coleman. Democrats ended up 11 votes shy of the 60 needed to avoid a GOP filibuster.

All Upper Midwest Senate Democrats voted Monday with their party (with the exception of South Dakota’s Tim Johnson who is still recovering from brain surgery in December).

Posted in Iraq, Minnesota, MN US Senate, National Politics, U.S. Senate

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