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House Holds Marathon Debate on Bush's Iraq Plan

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris.

ROBERT SIEGEL, host:

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And I'm Robert Siegel.

On Capitol Hill, the Senate is taking a page from the House of Representatives when it comes to debating Iraq. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he wants the Senate to break its procedural deadlock by taking up the House's streamlined Iraq bill.

Senator HARRY REID (Democrat, Nevada): We demand an up or down vote on the resolution that the House is debating as we speak. The resolution says we support the troops and we oppose the escalation of the presence in Iraq.

SIEGEL: Reid says the Senate will hold a vote this Saturday on whether to move forward.

NORRIS: Over in the House, things are moving forward ahead of a vote tomorrow. The debate continued for a third straight day. Each member has been given five minutes to speak on the floor.

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Representative BILL PASCRELL (Democrat, New Jersey): This resolution does not help make progress in Iraq. It does not provide a new approach in Iraq.

Representative STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES (Democrat, Ohio): I'm not ashamed that I want my troops to come home. I'm not ashamed to say that the babies that have died in Iraq that come from Cleveland's -

Representative BILL SALI (Republican, Idaho): It is stunning to me that this body will consume over 36 hours of floor debate on a non-binding resolution.

Representative GEOFF DAVIS (Republican, Kentucky): The president's escalation plan offers an illusion, but only the real hope is that it offers a curic(ph) victory at best.

SIEGEL: The voices of Democrat Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, Republican Bill Sali of Idaho, Democrat Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Republican Geoff Davis of Kentucky. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.