Associated Press - June 15, 2007
by Julie Hirschfield Davis

The coalition drew up a tentative list of 22 amendments - divided equally between the two parties - whose consideration would give a handful of Republicans the comfort they needed to allow the bill to go forward. That would take 60 votes - a threshold the bill missed by 15 last week, when just seven Republicans backed ending debate and moving to complete the bill.

Allowing votes on the proposals "has as its goal bringing more people on board," Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a lead Republican negotiator, said in an interview Friday. "They're going to get input that will make them feel better," Graham said of wavering Republicans.

"I do believe that with this new process, there will be enough votes to get to final passage, but the pressure's immense," Graham said. "I'll be going senator to senator" next week to persuade Republicans to back it.

Bush plans to keep blocks of time open next week in order to be able to jump in as needed with pointed remarks and calls or meetings with lawmakers, aides said.