The news comes amid a new showdown over the Iraq War on Capitol Hill. On Thursday, Democrats advanced an Iraq withdrawal resolution in the House but failed to pass a similar measure in the Senate. The House Appropriations Committee voted to send the military spending bill to the House floor. The vote was 36 to 28. The bill would link war funding in part to the withdrawal of combat troops by September of 2008. Democratic Congressmember Barbara Lee of California broke party ranks to vote against the measure. Lee says the resolution doesn’t go far enough to end the war. Lee said: “I believe the American people sent a mandate to us to bring home our men and women before the end of the year.” Meanwhile, the Senate voted down a measure to withdraw troops by April of 2008. The final vote was 50 to 48. Before voting, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hailed the measure as an opportunity to change course.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “The war has gone on too long. We must change direction in Iraq. We’ve given the president chance after chance. We hear this things are getting better, things are getting better. His own Pentagon says it’s a civil war. His own Pentagon says it’s getting worse.”

Two Democratic senators, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, joined Republicans in voting against the proposal. Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut also sided with Republicans.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: “We in this chamber have a choice: We can fan the flame, or we can smother it. By voting for a timetable on withdrawal, we are very decidedly doing the latter. Republicans take the hopeful path today.”