Republicans fail to support the troops

UPDATED

Enough of this garbage about how certain GOP lawmakers have "broken" with the president on his Iraq strategy.

Today, Republicans filibustered an amendment by Sen. Jim Webb to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have required longer rest periods for troops between deployments. The cloture vote was 56-41. Sixty votes were required to end debate.

Webb's amendment touched off a passionate war of words before the vote, with Democrats arguing that troops desperately need a break while Republicans charged supporters were looking for a backdoor route to shut down the war.

"How in good conscience can we continue to churn these troops? Where is the equity? Where is the fairness? Where is the justice? Where is the support of the troops in that kind of policy?" pleaded Bobby Muller, president of Veterans for America, who was paralyzed in Vietnam combat.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) countered, "It is a disaster in the making to allow any Congress during any war to step in and say troops can only go here and they can't go there, they have to stay home this much -- it just basically destroys the ability of commanders in the field to get the resources they need to fight and win."

Certain Republicans have received favorable attention recently with public poses questioning or scolding Bush about his conduct of the Iraq occupation. They include Pete Dominici, Dick Lugar, and George Voinovich, each of whom stood today with their pro-Bush, stay-the-course GOP brethren.

Until Republicans start backing up their words with votes to hold Bush accountable, they should stop getting credit for "breaking" with the president over the occupation.

UPDATE

Here's the roll call:

YEAs ---56

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Sununu (R-NH)
Tester (D-MT)
Warner (R-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---41

Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Thune (R-SD)
Voinovich (R-OH)

Not Voting - 3

Brownback (R-KS)
Johnson (D-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)

Now we know who supports the troops, and who doesn't.