Bill to fund war splits state Dems in Congress

WASHINGTON — The Iraq war split Washington's congressional Democrats in 2002. They split again Thursday on the war-spending bill.

Reps. Adam Smith, Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott voted against the legislation, which continues funding the war through September but doesn't set a deadline for withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell voted yes, as did Reps. Brian Baird, Rick Larsen and Norm Dicks.

Republican Reps. Dave Reichert and Doc Hastings both voted yes; Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers did not vote.

Five years ago, Murray, Inslee, Baird, Larsen and McDermott opposed the resolution that gave President Bush authority to send troops to Iraq. Cantwell, Dicks and Smith supported it.

The anti-war group MoveOn.org enlisted members to contact Congress on Wednesday night about the vote, and the offices of McDermott, Dicks, Smith and Inslee were swamped.

"I could not make an outgoing call last night, there were so many incoming calls," said Christine Hanson, Inslee's spokeswoman.

Smith, whose district includes Fort Lewis, told KIRO radio this week that he probably would support the war-spending bill. But he changed his mind shortly before the vote, his spokesman said.

"This was an agonizingly difficult vote for me," Smith said in a statement. "I ultimately decided to vote no on the legislation in order to keep the pressure on the president and his Republican supporters in Congress over the next several weeks."

Larsen said the supplemental bill does contain some benchmarks that require progress in Iraq. Plus, he said, "there just aren't enough votes to override President Bush."

Murray said the bill didn't go far enough toward ending the war. But she said she supported it because it was needed for "taking care of the best military in the world."

McClatchy Newspapers contributed to this story. Alicia Mundy: 202-662-7457 or amundy@seattletimes.com