Senate Republicans Block Iraq Timetable

By LIZ SIDOTI
The Associated Press
Tuesday, November 15, 2005; 12:47 PM

WASHINGTON -- The Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday easily defeated a Democratic effort to pressure President Bush to outline a timetable for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. It then overwhelmingly endorsed a weaker statement calling on the administration to explain its Iraq policy.

By 58-40, senators rejected the non-binding Democratic timetable proposal that the minority party's leadership advanced in the wake of declining public support for a conflict that has claimed more than 2,000 U.S. lives and cost more than $200 billion.