House Renounces Bush Surge; Senate Debate Stalled
BY JOHN TOSCANO

Senator Charles F. Schumer (D- New York) vowed to continue efforts to get the Senate on record against the president's escalation of the war.

All of Queens' congressional representatives were on board last Friday when the House passed a non-binding resolution denouncing President George W. Bush's recent order to send 20,000 more troops into Iraq.

But the following day in the United States Senate, the Democratic majority was unable to get enough votes to authorize a debate on a similar notion. Speaking afterward, however, Senator Charles F. Schumer (D- New York) vowed to continue efforts to get the Senate on record against the president's escalation of the war.

"We will be relentless," Schumer declared. "There will be resolution after resolution, amendment after amendment, all forcing this body to do what it has not done in the previous three years: debate and discuss Iraq."

New York's other Senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton, was among the 48 Democrats, seven Republicans and one Independent who voted for the debate to take place. But they were four votes short of the 60 votes required to let the debate go forward.

In the House the previous day, on the fourth day of a debate, the anti-Bush resolution passed by a 246-to-182 vote, with 17 Republicans joining all but two Democrats in the historic vote.

Although the resolution was non-binding, it was significant because it placed the Democratic majority clearly on record as opposing the president's decision on January 10 to send more than 20,000 additional combat troops into Iraq.

At the same time, the resolution said the Democrats continued to support the troops serving there, and during the debate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called for a moment of silence to honor the people fighting in Iraq and the 3,100 who have given their lives thus far.

During the almost four days of debate, Queens lawmakers rose to speak in favor of the resolution.

Congressmember Joseph Crowley (D- Queens/The Bronx) argued that the president's escalation plan would not work, that it was a misguided war, and that our troops should be removed from Iraq to border regions.

"This debate is not about trying to embarrass the president for political purposes, we are debating the escalation because the American people have demanded a change in direction," Crowley declared.

Congressmember Gary Ackerman (D- Queens/Nassau) stated, "Those of us who came of age in the '60s, believing that war is the ultimate breakdown of civilized process, have done the unthinkable: we trusted our leadership when we should have questioned more. We gave war a chance."

Later Ackerman admitted, "I voted with the president [to go to war] and I was wrong. But I know I was wrong. I'm afraid we have been led into a dead-end chasm from which there is no easy escape. Under the administration's leadership, everything has gone wrong."

Congressmember Nydia Velazquez, whose district takes in a part of Queens, stated, "I voted against the war from day one. Now, escalating this costly war would be a senseless mistake. Escalation is wrong and we must take it upon ourselves to make things right."

Congressmember Anthony Weiner (D- Queens/Brooklyn), referring to the U.S. forces serving in Iraq, stated: "Their mission is essentially to stand in the middle of a shooting match of the worst order."

Congressmember Carolyn Maloney (D- Queens/Manhattan) and Gary Meeks (Southeast Queens) also spoke in favor of the resolution condemning the escalation.