WASHINGTON — For the first time since the United States invaded Iraq three years ago, Republican leaders Thursday officially convened a full-scale debate over the war -- an effort that they hoped would showcase the increasingly divergent positions of the two parties and that wound up unleashing passions and acrimony on both sides.
Democrats denounced the debate in the House of Representatives as a sham, objecting to Republicans' characterization of debate on a nonbinding resolution on the war as a choice between "staying the course" and "cutting and running."
Republicans accused Democrats of indecision and division, repeatedly equating talk of withdrawal with retreat.
"Members, this is not the time to go wobbly. Let's give victory a chance," said Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.).
"This side is not trying to go wobbly," countered Rep. Jane Harman of Venice, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "We're trying to articulate what we think would be a better strategy for success in Iraq."
The rancor spilled over to the Senate, where Republican leaders forced a test vote on the idea of withdrawal in an effort to fan divisions among Democrats. The measure failed, 93 to 6.
"This sends a good message that the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly opposes a cut-and-run strategy in Iraq," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), whose ideas on withdrawal formed the basis for the Republican measure, denounced the maneuver as a "fibbing and fictitious vote." He said he was still working on his version of a withdrawal plan and would introduce it next week.
"I look forward to having a debate, but I look forward to having a debate on the amendment that I bring as a senator," Kerry said.
The long-postponed debate on Iraq comes four months before the midterm congressional elections, in which some strategists think sentiment for and against the war could determine which party emerges with a majority in Congress.
And it coincided with an announcement by the Pentagon that the number of U.S. personnel who have died in Iraq has reached 2,500. Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) marked that milestone by calling for a moment of silence on the House floor in honor of the fallen.
"This nation is at a strategic crossroads," Skelton said. "We are spending $9 billion a month and have spent over $300 billion total on this war. More strikingly, we are losing a battalion's worth of casualties a month, killed and injured....
