Senate Democrats on Tuesday deferred debate on revoking President George W. Bush's Iraq war authority, after failing to reach consensus on the best way to hasten the end of US military involvement there. The Senate had considered taking up an amendment proposed by Democratic senators Carl Levin and Joseph Biden which would revoke the president's 2002 authorization to wage war in Iraq.
The bill, one of several Iraq-related measure slated for debate, was to have been introduced as an amendment to homeland security legislation which went to the Senate floor Tuesday.
But Democrats decided to hold off on the de-authorization debate out of deference to the survivors of the September 11, 2001 attacks, some of whom had voiced concern that the domestic security legislation would get bogged down in a raucous floor debate over Iraq.
"The idea is not to do it on this bill because of the concerns of the 9/11 survivors and families," Democratic Senator Russ Feingold told reporters.
Democrats, who were elected in November with a mandate to change the course of US policy in Iraq, are united in their desire to craft an exit strategy from the wartorn country.
Feingold said however that they are divided by "a variety of viewpoints" on how to achieve that aim. Various bills and amendments under discussion include reducing the number of troops in Iraq; setting performance benchmarks on the Iraqi government; and even cutting funding for military options in Iraq.
"There is a problem with disagreement about this war and what we should do -- particularly about the funding issue," Feingold told reporters.
He said however that Democratic differences will have to be ironed out quickly, since the Iraq question is likely to be next on the Senate's agenda once work on the 9/11 bill is completed in the next several days.
"Disagreements will come and we'll have to work them out," Feingold said.
