Biden sees large vote against Bush Iraq plan

[Ron Burgundy]

Reuters - The chairman of the U.S. SenateForeign Relations Committee on Tuesday predicted the Senatewould overwhelmingly reject the Bush administration's plan tosend more troops to Iraq.

"My guess is there will be an overwhelming rejection, onthe record, of ... 'stay the course' with 20,000 more," Sen.Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record), a Delaware Democrat, told the committee.

Biden noted there were now two bipartisan proposals in theSenate -- one drafted by himself and several other senators,and a second by Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record) and others-- that said "almost the same thing" opposing Bush's plan toadd 21,500 troops to Baghdad and Anbar province.

Biden's committee was due to bring the first of theresolutions up for a vote on Wednesday. Warner, the formerchairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, unveiled hisproposal on Monday.

Both are nonbinding on the president but represent theopinion of the Senate.

Outside the hearing, Biden told Reuters his staff wasworking with Warner's staff to try and craft a joint proposal.

"It's possible," Biden said. "We're trying. Our staffs aretalking ... The main thing is, the overwhelming majority isopposed to what the president is doing."

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070123/pl_nm/iraq_usa_congress_dc [link]