Voinovich votes against Democrats’ Iraq withdrawal bill

From the Dispatch:

Voinovich announced his decision on the eve of an all-night Senate floor debate on the contentious Iraq issue, and it is likely a death blow to a measure championed by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. The Levin measure calls for an emphasis on training the Iraqi Army and would lead to the removal of most of the 158,000 U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq by next April.

He’s put himself in a weird position by voicing opposition to the current plan in Iraq, while at the same time voting with President Bush on staying the course. It’s like he trying to become popular on both sides but is only succeeding in becoming unpopular with both sides.

Here’s the Democratic spin on Voinovich’s vote:

“Senator Voinovich had an opportunity to lead, and he blew it,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern. “He says one thing and then votes in lock-step with Bush. The vast majority of Americans and Ohioans want a change of course in Iraq and instead Voinovich gives them nothing but hot air and political posturing.

Congressional Republicans should take notice that Americans will not stand with politicians who don’t make the hard decisions and they won’t tolerate officials who do not hold the President accountable for his misguided policies in Iraq.”

There’s something a bit contradictory about claiming that politicians who don’t vote for withdrawal aren’t making the hard decision and that they’ll pay in the next election. Wouldn’t that make voting for withdrawal the easy decision? Maybe it’s the simplistic decision too:

While pressing President Bush all year to begin bringing troops home from Iraq, lawmakers leading the legislative campaign have not developed any plans to confront the widespread killing that could follow a pullout….

But many acknowledged that Iraq could first plunge into vicious sectarian fighting much like the kind of ethnic cleansing that consumed Bosnia a decade ago and is now afflicting Sudan’s Darfur region. Yet they flatly rejected the use of U.S. troops to stop the killing.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s horrendous,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat who has helped lead the drive against the war. “The only hope for the Iraqis is their own damned government, and there’s slim hope for that.”

It would be ironic if the Democrats succeeded in pulling the US out of Iraq with as little regard to the consequences as Bush and Republicans (and many Democrats) did in getting the US in. (Via Instapundit.)