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Democrats vow all-night session on Iraq
Intended to bait Republicans into exhaustive debate on war

The Senate this week will pull its first all-night debate on the Iraq war in advance of a vote on whether to bring home all combat troops by next spring, Democrats said Monday.

The rare, round-the-clock session Tuesday night through Wednesday morning is intended to bait Republicans into an exhaustive debate on the politically unpopular war, as well as punish GOP members for routinely blocking anti-war legislation.

"How many sleepless nights have our soldiers and their families had?" said Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

Democrats are trying to ratchet up pressure on Republicans who have grown uneasy with the lack of progress and begun questioning President Bush's military strategy.

Republicans shrugged off the planned marathon debate as political theater. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said GOP senators are "happy to stay and debate this."

Elsewhere, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned on Monday that an abrupt U.S. troop pullout could deepen the crisis in Iraq.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace revealed that he and the Joint Chiefs are developing their own assessment of Iraq, to be presented to Bush in September. Options include another troop buildup or maintaining current troop levels beyond September.

Bush on Monday told Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other officials that continued U.S. support depends on political progress in Baghdad, said White House spokesman Tony Snow. In a secure video conference lasting more than an hour, Bush "encouraged efforts to build a strong unity coalition and to pass key legislation," Snow said.

Still, Snow said, "the president reaffirmed his strong support for Prime Minister Maliki."

Speaking through a translator, al-Maliki told NBC News in an interview: "As soon as we reach this level of readiness, the door will be open for dialogue between us and Americans about our future plans. Now we are thinking as politicians about how to maintain robust long- term relations with the Americans whether they remain on Iraqi soil or pull out from Iraq."

Former Rep. Lee Hamilton, the Democratic co-chairman of the independent Iraq Study Group, said Monday he's "extremely doubtful" that al-Maliki will be able to secure the country and allow American forces to leave any time soon.

"There is no chance that the Iraqi forces could take over at any time, or certainly by the first of the year," Hamilton said in a separate interview on NBC's "Today Show."

"All of the support efforts, logistical and medical and so forth, they are not close to being able to meet" requirements, Hamilton added.

Democrats want to pass legislation by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., that would order combat troops to begin leaving in 120 days and complete the pullout by April 30. Republicans have insisted it take 60 votes to pass—a de facto filibuster threat because it takes as many votes to cut off debate under Senate rules.

With only three Republicans—Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Gordon Smith of Oregon—having promised to back the measure, it's expected to fail.

Frustrated by the minority's ability to block its anti-war proposals, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid said he planned an endless night of votes and live quorum calls to force members to the floor in advance of the Wednesday morning vote.

"We're not going to let everybody go home and have a good night's rest," Reid, D-Nev., told reporters.

Republicans shrugged off the endless session as political theater.

"I doubt that they can accomplish in an extra seven hours what they've failed to accomplish in the last seven months," said Don Stewart, McConnell's spokesman.

On the GOP side, two moderate Republicans with respected foreign policy credentials have proposed their own hurry-up initiative, winning a polite but clear rejection from the White House.

Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said "no" when asked Sunday whether Bush could live with the proposal by Sens. John Warner of Virginia and Richard Lugar of Indiana.

Military officials have repeatedly warned against drawing down U.S. troops too soon, with the latest warning coming from British Army Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb.

Lamb, deputy commander of international forces in Iraq, said Monday that Iraqis have a way to go to cleanse a police force infiltrated by Shiite militiamen. Officials have removed some 11,000 police suspected of sectarian bias, Lamb told Pentagon reporters. He added that the problem won't be "solved overnight" and said the military needs more time to make progress.

"I sense we're on a fair course right now ... it would be a shame to change it," Lamb said.