I saw part of the debate leading up to the vote. Senator Chambliss of Georgia argued strongly that the Pentagon was opposed and that it would interfere with the President's monarchical, oops, constitutional authority to wage war.
Senator Webb gave a stirring, well-reasoned speech in support of the amendment. He's really come along as a debater. He drew on his years of experience as an Assistant Secretary of Defense. He pointed out that all the ground combat veterans in the Senate supported the amendment because they know what it's like to be deployed and in combat. He pointed out that the Military Officers of America Association, the largest retired officers organization at 368,000 strong, supported the amendment. He refuted the constitutional argument and made an excellent case for providing proper rest to our troops. He was firm, articulate, and very much in control.
It was gratifying to see some Repubs such as Snowe cross the aisle to join Hagel in supporting the amendment. For a while there, watching the vote on C-Span, I wondered if he was going to pull it off. Watching him standing in the well of the Senate as the vote was taken reminded me of an expectant father in a hospital waiting room.
Once the defeat was announced Senator Webb withdrew the amendment from consideration. He's not going away on this. I expect we'll be seeing that amendment again.