At this time last year, a majority in the House of Representatives voting in favor of withdrawing from Iraq would have seemed impossible. Today, Congress took a major step toward ending the war by passing a bill that would remove most troops from Iraq by August of 2008. The timeline passed by a slim margin, 218-212, with two Republicans voting with most Democrats to pass the bill.

During our trip to Washington, DC, we pushed for an amendment to the bill that would have added a shorter timeline to bring our troops home safely. Unfortunately, that amendment was not offered. Members of Congress told us that the vote on the bill today was one of the hardest votes of their careers. There was an arduous debate in the Democratic caucus as leaders tried to bring together progressives who wanted to end the war immediately, and conservative Democrats who had never supported a timeline.

In the end, even many of the war's strongest opponents supported the bill's passage as a critical first step. And many of the representatives all of us have worked for years to move finally supported a binding timeline. While the bill did not go as far as we wanted, it's important to recognize this as a huge milestone in Congress, moving us closer to bringing the troops home to their families.

Thank you to all of you who took time out of your busy schedules to put constant pressure on Congress and push for the best timeline possible. Click here to see how your representative voted on the bill.

This vote is not the end; it is one more step that keeps the momentum moving in our direction. The Senate will vote on their version of the bill next week, which currently includes a goal of withdrawing troops by March of 2008. The House and the Senate will then decide on a compromise that will end up on the president's desk. Regardless of the outcome, Peace Action West will continue to work for a stronger timeline and funding the reconstruction and diplomacy that are critical to stabilizing Iraq.

While more work remains to be done, today is a day that we should all be proud of the progress we have achieved. Thank you for your commitment and dedication.