Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb announced late Wednesday that he would back a resolution rejecting President Bush’s plan to increase the number of troops in Iraq.
When asked in recent days whether he would support a resolution introduced by Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Joseph Biden, D-Del., or introduce his own, Webb was noncommittal. Webb ended up supporting the bipartisan resolution, which said the troop increase “is not in the national interests of theUnited States.”
The resolution passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a 12-9 vote the day after the president pleaded with Congress to give his plan to increase troop numbers in Iraq a fair chance. Hagel was the only Republican to vote for the resolution.
“We’re looking for a way to encourage responsible conduct in this administration,” Webb said. “It’s become all too clear that the Congress must take the lead on this.”
“It is inverted political logic for people to say that we need to continue in this direction for the good of our troops,” he added. “I believe this resolution will help stabilize their rotational cycle and serve notice to this administration that it needs to be more responsible when sending units overseas.”
