Senate Sets Stage For Iraq Face-Off

President Bush invited the entire GOP Caucus to the White House to reaffirm his stance on the war in Iraq on the same day as the Senate approval on the 122 billion spending bill that calls for troop withdrawal of most forces by March 2008. The article suggested that the meeting is a message to Democrats that Bush will veto the bill. Because the bill only won by a few votes (51-49) and was split along party lines, the chances of a two-thirds majority to override the veto is unlikely. In addition, a final version of the bill must be agreed upon before the President even gets an opportunity to veto it. Because the decision for troop withdrawal is a major issue to many people, some Republican Senators may feel pressure to vote for it rather than stand with the President depending on the constituents in their respective states.