House Rejects Iraq Pullout

Just a day after Pennsylvania's Democratic Congressman John Murtha called for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, Republicans forced the House Democrats to stand up and be counted.

The House of Representatives considered a resolution calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

The Resolution simply read:

It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately.

The House overwhelmingly rejected the resolution. The vote was 403-3, with six voting present and 14 not voting.

The only three voting for it were Democrats:

Cynthia A. McKinney of Georgia
Robert Wexler of Florida
Jose E. Serrano of New York

Even Murtha voted against the resolution.

According to the Washington Times, Arizona Republican Congressman J.D. Hayworth, came up with the idea for the House vote after the headlines about Murtha's call for withdrawal referred to an "immediate withdrawal." Hayworth felt those must be countered with a House vote making it clear to friend and foe alike that the elected representatives of the people of the United States say no to immediate withdrawal.

Thank goodness the Republicans forced this put up or shut up vote requiring the House Democrats who were talking about withdrawal to consider how the irresponsible talk of a withdrawal is perceived by our enemies, the Iraqi people and our military. Murtha's call for withdrawal would only be seen as a retreat, or surrender.