That stand poses a dilemma for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid because of bipartisan support for Warner's resolution. Besides Ben Nelson, co-sponsors include Democrats Mary Landrieu (La.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Bill Nelson (Fla.) and Ken Salazar (Colo.), and Republicans Norm Coleman (Minn.), Susan Collins (Maine) and Gordon Smith (Ore.). If they all stick together, Biden cannot change the Warner resolution.
With Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine) the only Republican other than Hagel backing Biden's version, it may lack even enough votes for a simple majority. Reid faces a difficult choice. He could crack the whip on Democrats to get a majority to pass the Biden resolution (though falling short of enough for cloture). Or, he could swallow an unamended Warner resolution to win a bipartisan vote on record against additional troops.
Bush aides hope that pressure from Cabinet members and the president himself diminished GOP support for anti-war resolutions. The fact remains that almost no enthusiasm for the surge can be found there. Even Sen. John McCain, the early advocate of more troops, complains that a reinforcement of 21,000 is insufficient.
While many Republicans want to give their president what they call "one last shot" at a military solution in Iraq, there is pervasive pessimism about prospects for the new strategy. Republicans feel withdrawal of troops must begin in the next six months for their party to have any chance at retaining the presidency in 2008, and a Bush Cabinet member -- not associated with national security -- made that same assessment to me last week. The Senate is a tough place for somebody as assertive as Joe Biden to get his way, but that hardly connotes an expression of approval for sending more troops Iraq.