By Tom Weber & Adam Allington, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Senator Kit Bond of Missouri was among the Republicans who helped scuttle a Democratic proposal on Iraq Wednesday morning.
The effort fell eight votes short of the 60 needed to cut off debate under Senate rules.
Illinois's two Senators - Dick Durbin and Barack Obama - along with Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill all voted for the motion.
McCaskill says the all-night debate by Democrats was useful in getting the word out on Republicans' stalling tactics.
"I think a lot of Americans were confused as to why things weren't happening," McCaskill told reporters in a conference call Wednesday. "You know, they changed congress - there's a new group - why aren't you getting anywhere? It's because that in an unprecedented fashion, they are requiring the 60-vote majority."
But critics - like Bond - say the all-night debate was just a publicity stunt. "This was designed by Harry Reid, who's already declared the war lost even though we have our troops in the field, to play to Michael Moore and MoveOn.org to play to the radical left wing," noted the senior senator.
The measure that failed would have required the president to start bringing home troops within four months and complete the pullout by next May.