But the Senate also shot down another one:
Minutes later, the Senate defeated by 60-39 a resolution to urge the administration to begin "a phased redeployment of U.S. forces" sometime this year. The resolution would not have set a deadline for the end of the U.S. presence in Iraq.
This one had 39 votes for it.
The Senate Republicans should have supported this one. On the radio, I heard that the resolution would have called on the president to establish the schedule.
So his allies should have passed the resolution and then, after getting word that the resolution passed, the president should have immediately sent over his schedule:
MEMORANDUM
To the United States Senate
From the President of the United States of America
In response to your sense of the Senate calling on me to establish a timetable for American forces in Iraq, I submit the following redeployment schedule:
Section 1) The baseline is declared to be 129,000 United States military personnel.
Section 2) Troop strength will be withdrawn at the following rate:
JUL 2006 129,000
DEC 2006 128,999
JUL 2007 128,998
DEC 2007 128,997
JUL 2008 128,996
DEC 2008 128,995
JUL 2009 128,994
DEC 2009 128,993
JUL 2010 128,992
DEC 2010 128,991
JUL 2011 128,990
DEC 2011 128,989
JUL 2012 128,988
DEC 2012 128,987
JUL 2013 128,988
DEC 2013 128,987
JUL 2014 128,986
DEC 2014 128,985
JUL 2015 128,984
DEC 2015 128,983
JUL 2016 128,982
DEC 2016 128,981
Section 3) Each and every member of our Armed Forces redeployed from Iraq will of course be moved to nearby Okinawa where they will be ready to return should an emergency arise.
Section 4) This schedule is subject to revision if Iraq security forces prove capable of operating without our troops.
/signed/ George W. Bush, President
The President missed an opportunity.
