The Iraq debate continues on Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, Republicans defeated an amendment that would require U.S. troops to get as much or more rest between deployments as the time they were deployed. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in support, but the measure failed to attract the 60 votes needed to move ahead. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized Republicans, saying: “Our troops are not machines, they are human beings.” Meanwhile, Maine Senator Olympia Snowe became the second Republican to back a bill that would start bringing troops home within three months. On Wednesday, Snowe joined Republican Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon in co-sponsoring Michigan Democratic Senator Carl Levin’s proposal.