WASHINGTON — After 4 1/2 years of combat and hundreds of billions of dollars in funding, the debate over the Iraq war -- at least on Wednesday -- came down to two dozen people dressed in fluorescent pink and the oldest member of the U.S. Senate.
Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and turns 90 in November, denounced President Bush and vowed not to rubber-stamp the administration's request for nearly $200 billion more in war spending. Cheering loudly were war protesters from the group Code Pink, now a fixture at every Washington hearing even tangentially related to Iraq.
"Are we really seeking progress toward a stable, secured Iraq? Are we?" demanded Byrd.
"No!" shouted protesters.
"What do we mean when we say, 'Support the troops?' " Byrd continued.
"Bring them home!" one Code Pink member shouted.
On went the call-and-response, protesters shouting approval as Byrd preached.
"In the fifth year of this terrible, misguided conflict, this senator -- yeah, this man from the hill country -- believes that it is time for a thorough evaluation of the Bush war in Iraq," he said.
