US Senate Democrats stymied on Iraq withdrawal vote

A weary and sharply divided US Senate on Wednesday blocked a Democratic effort that would have brought all American combat troops out of Iraq by the end of April 2008.

Capping an around-the-clock debate, a majority of senators voted in support of the legislation that would have begun the troop withdrawals within 120 days, but fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a procedural hurdle and move forward. (Reuters)