Raw Story
The Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives succeeded in passing a controversial supplemental war budget that includes a timeline to remove troops from Iraq by August 2008. Fourteen Democrats voted against the funding bill, and two Republicans voted in favor of it.
By a 218-212 vote, a bare-bones majority, House Democrats succeeded in passing their supplemental appropriations bill, titled the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act, which funds the war in Iraq.
"My grandmother told me, ‘you’re put on this Earth to make a difference.’ We made a difference today," said Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman who championed the bill.
He added, "This bill sets benchmarks and requires accountability from the Iraqi government. It forces the Iraqis to fight their own war and to take over their own country."
