Senate rejects Iraq withdrawal

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Senate Democrats yesterday failed to get enough votes for a bill to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by next March, the first test of new Democratic leaders who will spend the next weeks challenging President Bush's war strategy.

Senators rejected on a near party-line 50-48 vote the proposal by Majority Leader Harry Reid that called for troops to start leaving Iraq in four months.

Only one Republican -- Sen. Gordon H. Smith of Oregon -- backed the proposal. Just two Democrats -- Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas -- joined Democrat-leaning independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut in opposing it. Two senators -- Democrat Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Republican John McCain of Arizona -- did not vote.

Earlier, on the other side of the Capitol, a Democratic war-spending plan cleared its first hurdle yesterday in the House Appropriations Committee, setting the stage for a floor battle next week. That measure, which passed on a mostly party-line vote, puts a framework to withdraw U.S. troops by September 2008 as a condition on a $124 billion supplemental appropriation bill that funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Leaders from both parties hailed the Senate vote as a victory.

"We've had a very good day for the Democrats," Mr. Reid said.

Five minutes later, Republicans came to the microphones with a similar message.

"I think this is a good day," Republican Whip Trent Lott of Mississippi said.

"Well obviously I'm very pleased," agreed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican.

Democrats said they did not look at the Senate vote as a failure, and pointed out they picked up votes since June, when the Senate voted 60-39 against a nonbinding Democratic resolution calling for the start of troop withdrawal.