House Passes Legislation Limiting Presence in Iraq

The New York Times is reporting that the United States House of Representatives passed legislation calling for a major withdrawal from Iraq by September 1, 2008. The article states,

The withdrawal timetable provision, which calls for most American troops to be
out of Iraq by Sept. 1, 2008, is part of a bill to provide about $100 billion to
finance the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill would also impose a series of
performance benchmarks, for Baghdad and for Washington, to show progress in the
new Iraq. Withdrawal would be required even sooner if progress on those
benchmarks could not be demonstrated.

Students could consider how todays vote in the House of Representatives reflects the importance of core democratic values in this country. If your students had been in the House would they have voted for or against a bill calling for a withdrawal? What kinds of consequences might stem from the passage of this bill, even if it never becomes law?