Sunday, July 8, 2007; Page A08


Before the Oct. 10, 2002, House vote to authorize the war, with the Democratic leadership prepared to support President Bush, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and other liberals formed an opposition movement. Quietly, they went from lawmaker to lawmaker "asking people how they would vote, and if they were unsure, convincing them that they would be far from alone if they vote no." In the final tally, 126 Democrats, or about 60 percent of the caucus, sided with Schakowsky.

Three years later, Schakowsky helped found the Out of Iraq Caucus, which has grown to about 75 members. But when Democrats won control of Congress, her longtime friend and fellow liberal Nancy Pelosi of California became speaker, and Schakowsky was named a chief deputy whip, a crucial vote-counting post. From her new perch in leadership, the war debate has become more complicated than a simple rallying call.

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