The vote was 56-44. It missed the 60 vote minimum. Warner helped torpedo whatever chance it had to pass because the White House got to him as usual....Let's thank the Rubber stamp Republicans for not supporting our troops. And I'm so sick of these very honorable people. As Duncan notes: "Everything sure did change, with that Webb amendment getting the same number of votes it got last July" Kudos to Senator Webb for standing strong anyway.

RNC Chair Mel Martinez says that resting the troops is demeaning to them. Wanker...

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 via Greg:

'Martinez: "I think we would demean their service if we were to say to them that there had to be a parity between the time in service out of the country and the time at home."

"The reenlistment rates of those who have served in the theater are larger than those of any other. And, in fact, it is a testament to their courage, to their valor, and their sense of duty to their country. I think we would demean their service if we were to say to them that there had to be a parity between the time in service out of the country and the time at home. The goal ought to be for us not to have 15-month deployments. The hope would be that these would never be necessary. But the mandate from congress that this is how we must operate our armed forces I think is ill-conceived, it is dangerous and does not serve either the national interest of our nation nor the interest of the soldiers on the field whom it is intended to serve.

"We should not have a subterfuge of policy to change direction in Iraq heaped on the back of our brave young men and women in uniform..."