Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), veteran, long-time defense proponent, and now ranking minority member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has rejected the Bush Administration’s plan to send more American troops to Iraq. In a statement released on the eve of the President’s State of the Union address, Warner says a bipartisan resolution submitted on the new Iraq strategy is “not meant to be confrontation” but to “express the genuine concerns of a number of senators from both parties.” Joining Warner in submitting the resolution were Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine.) The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has two sessions scheduled Thursday on the Iraq issue and may attempt to reconcile the Warner resolution and a more confrontational one proposed by key Democrats.
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.