Bush’s veto survives House vote

The House Wednesday fell far short of overriding President Bush’s veto of the Iraq spending bill. Bush rejected the measure Tuesday evening because it includes a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

{mosads}The 222–203 vote was nowhere near the two-thirds majority needed to overturn a veto. Two Republicans voted with the Democratic majority, while seven Democrats crossed party lines and voted to uphold the veto.

After the vote, congressional leaders went to the White House to find common ground on which a new Iraq funding measure can be constructed.

“Now that we have upheld the president’s veto, we should immediately begin drafting a clean bill that simply provides [troops] with the resources that they need to complete their mission,” Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) said after the vote.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is participating in the White House meeting, said the House vote marks an end to “political posturing” on the issue and also urged Congress to “quickly move forward” on a new bill.