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Breaking ranks on Iraq

McCarthy is sole local Democrat to back GOP resolution supporting the war; the measure passes

BY J. JIONI PALMER | Newsday Washington Bureau

June 17, 2006

WASHINGTON - Breaking ranks with the bulk of her party, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy was one of only two New York Democrats to vote in favor of a contentious Iraq war resolution that passed the House Friday on a mostly party-line decision.

McCarthy, of Mineola, earlier in the week had criticized a memo circulated by House Majority Leader John Boehner calling on Republicans to use the debate to gain political leverage over Democrats. But she said that despite those feelings, she supports the thrust of the nonbinding resolution that the United States will prevail in Iraq and against global terrorism.

"While the Republicans' cynical attempt to boost their approval ratings is transparent, there is nothing in this resolution that is objectionable," McCarthy said.

The measure was far from perfect, McCarthy said, noting that she would have liked it to say the war, and the awarding of military construction contracts, could have been better managed.

"I decided to ignore the Republicans' efforts to politicize this important issue and vote in favor of the legislation," she said.

The measure passed 256 to 153, with 42 Democrats voting for it. Brian Higgins, a freshman congressman from Buffalo, was the only other New York Democrat to support the resolution.

Most of the Democrats voting yes hail from swing districts, are freshmen, represent military facilities or tend to lean conservative. But McCarthy, an economically moderate and socially liberal Democrat who represents a district that voted overwhelmingly against President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, doesn't fall into any of those categories.

McCarthy acknowledged that her vote might cause her political headaches back home, but said she felt it was the right thing to do.

Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington), in an interview with Newsday earlier in the week, indicated that he was leaning toward voting for the resolution, but changed his mind during the more than 10 hours of debate before the balloting.

"The more I listened to the debate, the less anxious I was to become an accomplice to a nonbinding resolution that was designed not to win the war on terror, but to win Republican House seats in November," he said.

Israel, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said that just before to going to the House floor to vote, he talked with an Army sergeant he had met during an earlier trip to Iraq.

"He said, 'You can't win a war based on a political position paper.' Now, if this young sergeant who is fighting in Iraq saw through it, then we all should see though it."

Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) missed the vote because of a previously scheduled medical procedure.

In a statement, he indicated that he would have voted against the measure.