Senate Republicans have thwarted a Democratic measure that would have begun a partial withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. On Wednesday, Democrats fell eight votes shy of the 60 needed to avoid a Republican filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had tried to break the deadlock by keeping the Senate in session around the clock on Tuesday night. When that failed, Reid announced he would withdraw the entire defense authorization bill, to pressure Republican lawmakers.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “Regrettably, Republicans chose to block this amendment. They chose to block a bipartisan amendment, Mr. President, to deny the American people an up-or-down vote. They chose to continue to protect their president instead of our troops, no matter the cost to our country.”

The move is likely to grant President Bush his plea for the Senate to keep Iraq off the table until General David Petraeus issues a progress report in September. Recent polls show seven out of 10 Americans favor a withdrawal from Iraq. Six out of 10 say Congress should only fund the war on condition a timetable for withdrawal is set.