NY Times Falsely Claims GOP 'Blocking' Debate on Iraq

New York Times reporter Jeff Zeleny again spun in a Democrat direction in his coverage of the fierce arguments over non-binding resolutions regarding Bush's troop increase in Iraq. On Thursday, Zeleny claimed: "Senator John W. Warner, a Virginia Republican who led the bipartisan resolution against the president’s troop buildup plan, went to the Senate floor on Wednesday to read the letter only two days after siding with Republican leaders on a vote that blocked the debate."

Republicans blocked the debate?

Zeleny again ignored the fact that Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will not allow votes on two Republican alternatives that would probably pass the Senate with the 60 votes required. In other words, it's Democrat Reid, not Republicans, who is "blocking" a fuller debate on Iraq.

"Senate Democrats, whose plan to debate the Iraq resolution this week was stymied by the Republican minority, said they planned to move on and express their opposition to the president’s troop buildup in other pieces of pending legislation."

Surprisingly, the New York Times editorial page, which is usually a more fiercely partisan version of the news pages, got it right: "But the right way for the Senate to debate Iraq is to debate Iraq, not to bar proposals from the floor because they might be passed. The majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, needs to call a timeout and regroup."

For more New York Times bias, visit TimesWatch.