All Night Session...Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)

Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)

Olympia Snowe is one of the most powerful Senators and is exceptionally popular at home. A moderate, she was elected in a landslide to the US Senate in 1994 in the seat vacated by Democrat George Mitchell. In 2006, she won the biggest landslide of any Republican Senator.

Snowe seemed either tired (it is 2:22 AM) or resigned to the fact that she has to turn against the President and her party on the Iraq war.

Snowe is cosponsoring the Levin/Reed Amendment with two other Republicans, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Gordon Smith of Oregon.

This amendment is not unprecedented

"I believe a fundamental change in our strategy in Iraq is essential."

"We can no longer afford to put more Americans in harm way to secure a peace the Iraqis don't seem to want for themselves."

Snowe: the Iraqi government is a complete disappointment. They will take a recess in August having done nothing while our soldiers die for them.

The Iraqi government has failed to meet few, if any, deadlines in the last year.

Snowe has been speaking for nearly a half hour now, she started looking tired, seemed to spring up, but once again looks exhausted and resigned.

The American people want a bipartisan end to the this war.

Snowe yields the floor...Enter John McCain