California Senate passes resolution opposing Iraq escalation

The California Senate passed a resolution Monday urging Congress and President Bush not to escalate U.S. involvement in the Iraq war. The 22-14 vote was along party lines with all Republicans voting against the measure, and all but one Democrat voting in favor. During a contentious hour-long debate Democrats said they continued to support American troops fighting in Iraq, but they disapproved of Bush’s request for more troops and money. Republicans argued that the measure could harm troop morale or embolden terrorists. Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) even seemed to say that those who voted for Democrats in the last election were terrorist sympathizers, “This resolution emboldens our enemies,” he said “This resolution simply tells Al Qaeda and other state sponsors of terrorism, ‘We’ve got the Americans on the run. First, we had the election in November and now … all we have to do is hold out a while longer. They are crumbling in Washington and they are crumbling in state legislatures all over the country.’ Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a Santa Monica Democrat, responded: “Balderdash. If anything is supporting and emboldening our enemies, it is this war…. This war was a mistake, and the rest of the world knows it.”