A special Saturday edition of the Congressional Briefing…(AP) Kansas lawmakers split on resolution: _Kansas lawmakers split along party lines Friday as the House approved a Democratic resolution opposing President Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq. The 246-182 vote on the nonbinding measure came after four days of debate over a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,100 U.S. troops. The state’s two Democratic House members – Reps. Dennis Moore and Nancy Boyda – voted for the measure, while Republican Reps. Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran opposed it._With 392 members of the House weighing in during the debate — an unusually high number — we go to the Congressional Record to find out what our representatives had to say.Some excerpts:Rep. Dennis Moore (D): “We have done militarily all we can do in Iraq. We need to ask and tell the Iraqi Government, this new Iraqi Government, to step up to the plate and assume responsibility for the protection of their people and their country, Iraq. We need to give them incentive, powerful incentive to step up to the plate and assume responsibility.”Sometimes new governments are like some people. If you tell them you will do something for them, they stand back and let you do it and do it and do it and never, never assume responsibility.”We saved the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein, but we can’t save the Iraqi people from the Iraqi people if they won’t put aside centuries of religious differences and support their new government. I am talking about the Shia and the Sunnis for more than 1,000 years have been fighting.”Rep. Nancy Boyda (D): “Diverting resources from Afghanistan and invading Iraq may be one of the most dangerous decisions this country has ever made. Our Nation’s civilian leadership took their eye off the ball. Instead of securing more resources to hunt down Osama bin Laden, instead of engaging in diplomacy, they put resources into what has become a civil war and have depleted our Nation’s strategic readiness.”Please, please understand me. Our military has not failed. What has failed is our civilian leadership. Our military and their families have repeatedly stepped up and done what our Nation has asked of them. And now, Mr. Speaker, President Bush proposes to send more than 20,000 more troops to this civil war. He asks us to trust him with our soldiers’ lives, even after trust has been broken time and time again. “Rep. Jerry Moran (R): “Madam Speaker, despite my belief in the inadequacies of the President’s new strategy, to vote for the resolution with the troops already deployed is a step I cannot take. I am unwilling to–after the fact–say to them, I oppose your mission.”My vote should not be interpreted as approval of the administration’s conduct of this war. I have had the opportunity to meet General David Petraeus, the new commander of the U.S. forces in Iraq. I believe he is one of the most capable military commanders America has available for this mission. General Petraeus has indicated there is a chance for success and that he will report to the American people in 6 months as to whether or not the President’s plan is working.”Let us give the new leaders and the new strategy this short period of time to see if stability can be achieved–an investment necessary to ensure the lives lost and families damaged thus far have not sacrificed in vain.”Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R): “Today we are taking the first step towards defeat. No one likes where we are today, but our goal should be success, not to accept the defeat the Democrats are leading us towards.”I am very disappointed that the new Democrat leadership will not allow a true debate on what should be our focus today: what can we do to help achieve success in Iraq, and what metrics should we use to measure that success. That is the debate we should be having on the floor this week. Our military, our children, our fellow citizens, and the people of Iraq deserve nothing less.”Instead, this Democrat leadership is telling the brave men and women who serve in our military that their efforts have not been good enough and that they do not think they deserve the tools to fight this war.”