U.S. House Debates Iraq While Polling Shows Strong Support for Congressional Action

The U.S. House of Representatives begins its three-day Iraq debate sometime this morning, leading to an expected Friday vote on the House Dem version of a nonbinding resolution against escalation. It's very simple:

(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and

(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

Each of the 435 House members will get five minutes to comment on the resolution. The debate will be broadcast live on CSPAN TV, video streamed on CSPAN.org and audio streamed at CSPAN radio online.

Meanwhile, the latest polling by USA Today/Gallup shows that:

• A majority supports congressional action on Iraq:
  • 51% back a non-binding resolution
  • 57% support a cap on troop levels
  • 63% want a timetable to withdraw all our troops by the end of 2008.
  • However, 58% oppose denying funding for the additional troops.
• The Senate's failure to act last week rankled nearly two-thirds of those surveyed. By 51%-19%, they blamed Republicans. In a party-line vote, Senate Republicans refused to cut off debate and let action proceed on a resolution opposing the troop increase.
• Seven of 10 say their representative's vote on the war will affect their vote in the next congressional election; more than four in 10 call it a major factor. However, nearly two-thirds aren't sure where their representative stands on the issue.

According to a Washington Post article the Repubs will be going all out to counteract the impact of as many as 60 of their members voting to support the resolution:

The GOP, whose members have conceded they are likely to lose, is treating the debate like a mini-political campaign, deploying a rapid-response team to counter Democrats' statements, aggressively trying to get its leaders on television and radio, and creating a "resource center" off the House floor where members can fill their arms with maps, research material, videos or other visual aids to use during their floor time.

"We may lose the vote, but we'll win the debate," said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for House Minority Leader (R-Ohio).

Meanwhile, more and more House Repubs are making statements like this:

"Every time I go to another funeral, every time I go to Walter Reed, people are really gracious, but what do you say? What are we doing over there now?" asked Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-Md.), whose Eastern Shore district has lost 23 service members in the war.

The narrowly worded resolution now being debated is considered as a first step on the road to stopping the war by House Dems, a number of whom will be creating additional roadblocks against any escalation of the war and setting up conditions that bring our troops home as soon as possible.