all night session on Iraq.

Imagine that, and only 15 minutes after the President makes his own appearance about peace!

2 hours, 1 minute ago
WASHINGTON - The Senate this week will pull its first all-night debate on the Iraq war in advance of a vote on whether to bring home all combat troops by next spring, Democrats said Monday.
The rare, round-the-clock session Tuesday night through Wednesday morning is intended to bait Republicans into an exhaustive debate on the politically unpopular war, as well as punish GOP members for routinely blocking anti-war legislation.
"How many sleepless nights have our soldiers and their families had?" said Democratic Whip **** Durbin, D-Ill.
Democrats are trying to ratchet up pressure on Republicans who have grown uneasy with the lack of progress and begun questioning President Bush's military strategy.
Republicans shrugged off the planned marathon debate as political theater. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Republicans "welcome further debate" but that there was no reason why the Senate couldn't vote sooner.
The political sparring came as several Republican congressional staffers met privately with Bush aides in the West Wing of the White House to hash out an effective communications strategy on the war.
According to one member who attended, Bush made a brief surprise visit and thanked the staffers — spokespeople for Republican leadership on Capitol Hill — for sticking behind him. Bush told the staffers he would not rethink his Iraq policies until a critical military assessment comes in September.
Bush also said he had no confidence in the ability of international institutions — a reference to the United Nations — to salvage Iraq if the U.S. were to withdraw.
"He said, 'We have to do this,'" the attendee said, referring to stabilizing Iraq. The attendee spoke anonymously because the meeting was intended to be private.
The meeting was arranged by Ed Gillespie, a former high-dollar Washington lobbyist and longtime Republican strategist. Gillespie recently replaced Dan Bartlett as White House counselor.
GOP leaders have backed Bush on the war, but have warned administration officials that keeping their members in line will be much tougher after September if substantial progress is not made.
Marine Gen. Peter Pace revealed that he and the Joint Chiefs are developing their own assessment of Iraq, to be presented to Bush in September. Options include another troop buildup or maintaining current troop levels beyond September.
Bush on Monday told Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other officials that continued U.S. support depends on political progress in Baghdad, said White House spokesman Tony Snow. In a secure video conference lasting more than an hour, Bush "encouraged efforts to build a strong unity coalition and to pass key legislation," Snow said.
Still, Snow said, "the president reaffirmed his strong support for Prime Minister Maliki."
Democrats want to pass legislation by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., that would order combat troops to begin leaving in 120 days and complete the pullout by April 30. Republicans have insisted it take 60 votes to pass — a de facto filibuster threat because it takes as many votes to cut off debate under Senate rules.
With only three Republicans — Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Gordon Smith of Oregon — having promised to back the measure, it's expected to fail.
Frustrated by the minority's ability to block its anti-war proposals, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid said he planned an endless night of votes and live quorum calls to force members to the floor in advance of the Wednesday morning vote.
"We're not going to let everybody go home and have a good night's rest," Reid, D-Nev., told reporters.
Republicans shrugged off the endless session as political theater.
"I doubt that they can accomplish in an extra seven hours what they've failed to accomplish in the last seven months," said Don Stewart, McConnell's spokesman.
On the GOP side, two moderate Republicans with respected foreign policy credentials have proposed their own hurry-up initiative, winning a polite but clear rejection from the White House.
Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said "no" when asked Sunday whether Bush could live with the proposal by Sens. John Warner of Virginia and Richard Lugar of Indiana.
Military officials have repeatedly warned against drawing down U.S. troops too soon, with the latest warning coming from British Army Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb.
Lamb, deputy commander of international forces in Iraq, said Monday that Iraqis have a way to go to cleanse a police force infiltrated by Shiite militiamen. Officials have removed some 11,000 police suspected of sectarian bias, Lamb told Pentagon reporters. He added that the problem won't be "solved overnight" and said the military needs more time to make progress.
"I sense we're on a fair course right now ... it would be a shame to change it," Lamb said.
___
Associated Press writer Pauline Jelinek contributed to this story.

Let them stay up all night hearing themselves talk...I think its great...they want defeat in Iraq so bad just for political gains and not what is good for our nation and the region...Bush will wipe out all there "hard" work with a swift swipe of his pen with a 2 second veto

I have nothing good to say about the democrats...or the republicans...it changes nothing..

Redy...


i have heard that some don't even show up at all even when they are needed to vote on an issue....America's in a mess..

mutiny or abandon ship....hope ya'alll know how to swim!

no point in voting ... the Government always wins ...

and in cases where they dont win, they steal it!

You're not suggesting politics is rigged are you?

No! of course not! What ever would suggest that?

I mean, when was the last time a politician actually won the post for winning the most votes?

Happens about as often as I find a 90 year virgin who was left a distillery by her father and wants to marry me!

I think I met one of those but she decided to go for a younger man. Maybe she lied. About the distillery anyway.

no, that was a 9 year old virgin, Harry ... and everyone went 9? O!

Freakin one step away from communism Socialists commenting on a Representative Republic. Its almost embarrassingly funny. Every time we hiccup you people sh*t your pants. Bunch of whining misfit s trying to form a union to compete with the US when you can't even get your own sh*t in one sock. I am to the point where the gloves are coming off. Wipe your own asses. we didn't ask you to wipe ours.I don't see a f*ck you emoticon but you get the point. Its about to get ugly.

Rosie says, "go f*ck yourselves".

Rosie is really looking good......

You'll have to pardon me, aw hell, no you don't. Don't care. In the beauty pageant of life, you didn't win so quit your *****in'. Maybe you all can at least get a date with the doorman. Oops, I see you are ahead of us for once.

Lily

Did you all go cower in the corner somewhere? Come on! Show me you are bigger than your mouth. Lets talk about your backwards country for a change. How does that work for ya? I'm game. You think it takes courage to talk behind people's backs but you don't have the balls to come out and run with me?

America may be in one helluva mess right now, (probably due to the actions of the Bush administration), but regardless I still believe in my country, I am still proud to be American and would not choose any other country to call "home". We have our faults, but then who doesn't in reality? I believe in this country of ours, our America. No foreigners are pressured to like, respect or accept America by any of us "regular citizens"....your average Joes.......but allow us the right to love and appreciate what our country still is to us. America to me is the great melting pot; the land of opportunity; the protection of our constitutional rights; democracy.....regardless of our govt. officials, this is still who we common, everyday American citizens are and what we stand for. My govt. doesn't speak for me; I speak for myself. I don't have to agree with the politics to remain loyal to my country.....God Bless America!

Sorry Lilly, the ****roaches scatter as soon as you turn the light on.

zap...what's the matter darling.....


having a bad hair day???? oh oh oh !!!lmao!!


Lily.... i could give you a warm embrace.... an open hand....i feel what you feel.... but it went a little further and that's actually my loss.

I once was proud of, and loved America....i never wanted or dreamed i would see it come to this. You are quite right that the bush administration was the straw that broke the camels back.....

(gee i just saw the pun in that)....heh heh...and now those camel jockeys are ridin hard on the war path.....

i seriously feel that the current administration, and it's corrupt policies has taken it's toll and made the whole world a much more violent and unsafe place.

bush and his cohorts have decided to keep killer bee's as a hobby...being the psychotic sociopaths that they are they kicked the hive and now it's swarming


that's my take...i wish you all the best and i really do have faith that the
REAL AMERICANS WILL STAND UP.....and take out these idiots and correct the damage they've done to the constitution, and to the face of america.



peace.....for all of us and our children


xxx alex

Alex, the sugar coating of your hatred for America and Americans runs much deeper and much farther back than the Bush administration. Whatever internal battle you are dealing with is your business. Please don't drag us into it. Your tendency if not to ignore but to trumpet the ideals of anything or anyone that is un-American screams past your smiling whispers and the smiling puppets dancing from your strings parroting you to stay in your graces. You seem to view America, and that includes me, as evil. Psychopaths? Hmmmm Whatever hurts you from your past seems to haunt you to this day no matter what you do to pretend it isn't there. Sorry Alex, you are and will always be one of my closest friends and I do love you but it hurts to see you continually slamming us as evil.

bl8ant was talking about the sociopathic administration running this country into the hellhole of oblivion....and I agree with her...
hopefully the populace will finally say "enuf is enuf" and do some serious housecleaning...before it's too late...

good place to start would be to elect Ron Paul...and reinstate the constitution as the rule of law in the land...