The Senate has passed its version of the war-spending bill granting $100 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while requiring the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq by this time next year. The final vote was 51 to 47. Republicans Gordon Smith of Oregon and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska voted with Democrats. Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut voted with Republicans. The House passed a similar measure last week setting the deadline six months ahead to September 2008. At the White House, President Bush stood with Republican congressmembers to repeat his pledge to veto any bill calling for a withdrawal from Iraq.

President Bush: “We stand united in saying loud and clear that when we’ve got a troop in harm’s way, we expect that troop to be fully funded; and we’ve got commanders making tough decisions on the ground, we expect there to be no strings on our commanders; and that we expect the Congress to be wise about how they spend the people’s money.”