"MoveOn vote splits Dems"

The Hill:

The Senate overwhelmingly approved a resolution Thursday condemning an ad by the liberal pressure group MoveOn.org, which had excoriated Gen. David Petraeus for “cooking the books” to support the White House’s policy on Iraq.

The resolution put Democrats in a bind by forcing them either to endorse an attack on the commanding American officer in Iraq or else condemn a group that raises and spends a lot of money to benefit liberal causes and candidates, is close to the Democratic leadership, and is playing a big role in the presidential nominating contest.

Thursday’s 72-25 vote split the party caucus nearly in half. Twenty-two Democrats joined every Senate Republican and one independent in denouncing MoveOn’s newspaper advertisement against Petraeus, while 24 Democrats and one independent voted against the non-binding resolution.

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) voted against the amendment, as did White House hopeful Chris Dodd (Conn.). Clinton’s chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), missed the vote, as did Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), another presidential aspirant.

The ad, first published nearly two weeks ago, lampooned Petraeus as “General Betray Us” and alleged that he was not forthright about deteriorating security in Iraq.

Obama explained his missed vote later in a statement, saying: “This amendment was a stunt designed only to score cheap political points while what we should be doing is focusing on the deadly serious challenge we face in Iraq. It’s precisely this kind of political game-playing that makes most Americans cynical about Washington’s ability to solve America’s problems. By not casting a vote, I registered my protest against this empty politics. I registered my views on the ad itself the day it appeared.”

Obama went on to say he respected Gen. Petraeus and all men and women in uniform.

For Republicans, who have had to defend the White House and an unpopular war for months, the ad offered a rare moment to go on the offensive by condemning MoveOn for the personal attack.

“We will not tolerate the patriotism and integrity of our troops and their leaders in the field being dragged down into the swamp of Washington politics,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who sponsored the amendment.

Democrats who voted with Cornyn included Sens. Ben Cardin (Md.), Patrick Leahy (Vt.), and Barbara Mikulski (Md.).

President Bush, meanwhile, called the MoveOn ad “disgusting” on Thursday, saying that “most Democrats are afraid of irritating a left-wing group like MoveOn.org.”

The Senate rejected a competing amendment by California Democrat Barbara Boxer to “reaffirm” support for veterans and military personnel. Democrats who spoke for the Boxer amendment cited attacks by the Republican-allied Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which in 2004 disparaged Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s military record during the Vietnam war. The 51-46 vote for the amendment was insufficient because, under a previous agreement, 60 votes were required for passage.

Clinton and Dodd voted for the Boxer amendment, while Republican presidential hopefuls John McCain of Arizona and Sam Brownback of Kansas voted against it. Obama was present for this roll call and voted for the measure.

MoveOn remained defiant after the Senate vote and vowed to keep up an ad campaign against Republicans who opposed a measure by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) to extend troop leaves from Iraq.

Democrats called the MoveOn amendment a waste of time that could have been spent on finding a new way forward on Iraq.

The debate came on a day when frustrated Senate Democratic leaders and centrist Republicans cast doubt on the chances of brokering an accord on a new Iraq war plan, and Democrats fell short on another attempt to change Bush’s war strategy.

While several Republican and Democratic centrists continued to negotiate to strike a deal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) strongly suggested that he would not bring up any measure that did not mandate a change in course in Iraq.

“Understand this: Compromise does not mean abandoning our principles. Our principle is that we need to change the course in the war in Iraq,” Reid said.

Republican centrists, including those up for reelection next year, call the process unfair, saying they wanted their alternative solutions considered.

“I’m worried that we’re being shut out,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who faces a tough reelection battle in 2008.

“I’m disappointed” that Reid decided to eschew a compromise approach, said Oregon’s Gordon Smith, another vulnerable Republican up for reelection. “I was meeting with [Michigan Democrat Carl Levin (D)] and trying to work out compromise language that would attract more Republicans.”

Reid responded by saying that he was “disappointed” with Smith and that his attempts to find common ground with Republicans had been fruitless.

“I went to the Republican senators’ offices, I called once, twice, three times, so Gordon Smith and all other Republicans should understand that that’s phony,” Reid said.

Hours later, Reid failed in an amendment with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) to mandate a redeployment of troops by the end of next June, after which funding for the war would end. The amendment was rejected, 28-70.

Howie P.S.: If anybody has a comment or statement from John Edwards on this issue, please post here in the comments or email me (address in my "profile".