Vote Getting, or Actual Policymaking in Iraq War Debate?

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 15, 2006 — -- From tough talk about what the enemy is willing to do to women and children to harsh accusations about Washington's "spend and bleed" policy in Iraq, lawmakers plowed through 10 hours of fiery debate today about the strategy for that conflict.

In this competitive election year in which control of the U.S. House of Representatives is up for grabs, both parties want to stake out a position on the war that they hope will resonate with voters.

As spelled out in a "Confidential Messaging Memo" obtained by ABC News and issued to Republican members by House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, the debate was intended to show voters that Republicans are "dedicated to victory," while the Democrats are "without a coherent national security policy" and "sheepishly dismiss … the challenges America faces in a post-9/11 world."

"This is about taking the fight to those who will strike America again and will ruin this nation and kill our innocent civilians," said Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz. "America must endure -- endure and prevail."

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., warned that the Iraqi insurgents and al Qaeda must be stopped.

"They have well established themselves to murder Christians, Jews, Muslims, women, children; they'll behead you, they'll shoot you, they'll blow you up. They don't care," Rogers said. "And to have the talk of rhetoric -- because the electricity isn't where it is -- let's come home in defeat? That's no standard for victory!"

Democrats responded with equal force. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who last November called for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, dismissed as "rhetoric" the comments by his Republican colleagues and said that as a Vietnam veteran he knew of what he spoke.

"I know what rhetoric is and I know what fighting on the front lines are. I know the difference between them," said Murtha. "I know standing here does not solve the problem. It hasn't gotten better, it's gotten worse; that's the problem."

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said: "There's a better way to honor our troops than sending more of them off to be killed. It's not weakness or retreat to recognize the administration offers us only an endless spend and bleed policy."