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ByDavidEspo The Associated Press WASHINGTON Eager to adjourn for midterm elec- tions, the Senate steamed toward final congressional approval Thursday of Pres- ident Barack Obama's re- quest to train Syrian rebels for a war against Islamic state militants in the Mid- dle East. The Senate has approved a plan for the military to train and equip Syrian reb- els, clearing the measure for President Barack Obama's signature. The vote late Thursday was 73-22 for broader leg- islation that also provides money to keep the govern- ment operating after the end of the budget year on Sept. 30. The measure was one of the last on the short- ened congressional agenda ahead of November's mid- term elections. The legislation also pro- vides funding for the gov- ernment after the end of the budget year on Sept. 30, eliminating any threat of a shutdown in the run-up to November elections for a new House and control of the Senate. The House ap- proved the bill on Wednes- day. The Senate vote crossed party lines. SomeRepublicansbacked a major plank in the Dem- ocratic president's strategy to defeat Islamic State mil- itants. Several Democrats broke with Obama amid fears of U.S. ground forces being dragged back to Iraq for a Middle East conflict. Leaders in both politi- cal parties swung behind the legislation in the Sen- ate. But the measure split their rank and file, Repub- licans and Democrats alike, and likely created new fault lines for this fall's elections as well as the 2016 race for the White House. "Intervention that desta- bilizes the Middle East is a mistake. And yet, here we are again, wading into a civil war," said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. laying down a marker for Republican pres- idential primaries still more than a year distant. Sen. Mark Begich, an Alaska Democrat in a diffi- cult re-election campaign, said, "I disagree with my president" on the wisdom of having the U.S. military become more involved. "It is time for the Arab countries to step up get over their re- gional differences" and be more aggressive in the fight against terrorists,' he said. Like Paul, he said the Senate should have cast a stand-alone vote on train- ing Syrian rebels, rather than one on that issue and spending combined. For a second straight day, the administration dispatched top-ranking of- ficials to reassure lawmak- ers — and the public — that no U.S. ground combat op- eration was in the offing. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told one House com- mittee that Obama "is not going to order American combat ground forces into that area." Appearing before a dif- ferent panel, Secretary of State John Kerry said the administration under- stands the danger of a "slip- pery slope." The term was widely used a half-century ago as the United States slid ever deeper into a Viet- nam war that eventually left more than 50,000 U.S. troops dead. Obama's general plan is to have U.S. troops train Syrian rebels at camps in Saudi Arabia, a process that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, said could take a year. Additionally, the pres- ident already has said he will use existing authority to have the Pentagon de- ploy airstrikes against Is- lamic fighters in Syria as well as in Iraq. Hagel said the president received a de- tailed plan for operations in Syria during a visit Wednes- day to U.S. Central Com- mand in Tampa, Florida, and was reviewing it. From halfway around the world came a chilling reminder from militants who already have overrun parts of Syria and Iraq and beheaded three Western- ers. This time, the Islamic State group released a video showing a British journalist who said he was their pris- oner. Asked about approving Obama's plan in the wake of the war in Iraq, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "Iraq was a mistake. I was misled and I voted wrong. But this is not Iraq, this is a totally different thing." Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell also favored the legislation. Like some Republicans, Senate liberals split on the measure. Sen. Bernard Sanders, a Vermont independent, readily conceded the threat posed by forces seeking cre- ation of an Islamic State. But he said countries in the Middle East most threat- ened had not yet joined the international coalition that Obama is trying to assem- ble. "Not only are countries in the region not stepping up in the fight ... but believe it or not several of these Gulf states are empowering" Is- lamic State forces as well as al-Qaida allied groups with financial contributions, he said. But Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said Obama's pro- posal marked a moderate, middle course between do- ing nothing in response to a terrorist threat and re- fighting the Iraq war. "Ev- ery civilized person has to stand up against this," she said. While Democrats ex- pressed fears that the leg- islation could lead the na- tion back into a war, some Republicans were skeptical that Obama's strategy was strong enough to prevail. As a result, the legisla- tion provided only a narrow grant of authority that will expire on Dec. 11. It specifi- cally stops short of approv- ing the deployment of U.S. forces "into hostilities or into situations where hostil- ities are clearly indicated by the circumstances." The expiration date means Congress will have to return to the issue in a postelection session sched- uled to begin in mid-No- vember. The overall spending bill will prevent a government shutdown like the one that occurred a year ago, when House Republicans tried to eliminate funding for Obama's health care pro- gram. The vote in the House on Wednesday giving Obama authority to train rebels was 273-156. More Democrats, 85, voted to defy the president than Republicans, who cast 71 votes against the policy advanced by a commander in chief they distrust. WAR ON TERRORISM Senate endorses Obama plan to train, arm Syrian rebels J.SCOTTAPPLEWHITE—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., le , speaks with Secretary of State John Kerry, as lawmakers gather in the chamber of the House of Representatives for a joint meeting of Congress, at the Capitol in Washington on Thursday. By Jill Lawless The Associated Press EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND Excitement vied with ap- prehension as Scottish vot- ers went to the polls Thurs- day in a referendum on be- coming an independent state, deciding whether to dissolve a union with Eng- land that brought great prosperity but has increas- ingly been felt by many Scots as stifling. On the fog-shrouded streets of Scotland's capi- tal, Edinburgh, there was a quiet thrill of history in the making as many Scots prepared to stay up all night in homes and bars to watch the results roll in. Earlier, voters had lined up outside some poll- ing stations even before they opened at 7 a.m. For some, it was a day they had dreamed of for de- cades. For others, the time had finally come to make up their minds about the future — both for them- selves and for the United Kingdom. "Fifty years I fought for this," said 83-year-old Is- abelle Smith, a Yes sup- porter in Edinburgh's maritime district of Ne- whaven, a former fishing port. "And we are going to win. I can feel it in my bones." For Smith, who went to the polling station decked out in a blue-and- white pro-independence shirt and rosette, state- hood for Scotland was a dream nurtured dur- ing three decades living in the U.S. with her late husband. "The one thing Amer- ica has that the Scots don't have is confidence," said Smith, who returned to Scotland years ago. "But they're getting it, they're walking tall." "No matter what, Scot- land will never, ever be the same again." The question on the bal- lot paper could not be sim- pler: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Yet it has divided Scots during months of cam- paigning, generating an unprecedented volume and intensity of public de- bate and participation. The Yes side, in particu- lar, has energized young people and previously dis- illusioned working-class voters. Polls suggest the result was too close to call. A fi- nal Ipsos MORI poll re- leased Thursday put sup- port for the No side at 53 percent and Yes at 47 per- cent. The phone survey of 991 people has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. The future of the 307-year-old union with England was to be de- cided in 15 hours of vot- ing. Polling stations were busy and turnout was ex- pected to be high, with more than 4.2 million people registered to vote — 97 percent of those eli- gible. Residents as young as 16 can vote. Until recently, polls sug- gested as many as 1 in 5 voters was undecided, but that number has shrunk dramatically. In the lat- est poll, only 4 percent remained uncertain how they would vote. A Yes vote would trigger 18 months of negotiations between Scottish leaders and London-based politi- cians on how the two coun- tries would separate their institutions before Scot- land's planned Indepen- dence Day of March 24, 2016. Many questions — the currency independent Scotland would use, its status within the Euro- pean Union and NATO, the fate of Britain's nu- clear-armed submarines, based at a Scottish port — remain uncertain or dis- puted after months of cam- paigning. After weeks in which British media have talked of little else, the televi- sion airwaves were al- most a referendum-free zone Thursday. Electoral rules forbid discussion and analysis of elections on television while the polls are open. On the streets, it was a different story, with rival Yes and No billboards and campaigners outside many polling places. At an Edinburgh poll- ing station, Thomas Rob- erts said he had voted Yes because he felt opti- mistic about Scotland's future as an independent country. "Why not roll the dice for once?" he asked. Once the polls closed, ballot boxes were to be transported to 32 regional centers for counting. The result was expected Friday morning. Roberts said he was looking forward to learn- ing the outcome in a pub, many of which were stay- ing open overnight. "I'm going to sit with a beer in my hand watch- ing the results coming in," Roberts said. Many who oppose inde- pendence agreed that the campaign had reinvigo- rated Scottish democracy. "I support the No side, but it's been a fascinating, worthwhile discussion about Scotland's future," said David Clarke, a writ- ing consultant. "If it's a No, it's a win- win situation. If it's a Yes, we will have to deal with the fact that it's a Yes." But other No support- ers said the noisy pro-in- dependence campaign had divided the country and fueled bad feeling among neighbors. "The country is divided with a hatchet. It's so aw- ful — and it was com- pletely unnecessary," said Fiona Mitchell, distribut- ing No leaflets outside a polling station. First Minister Alex Sal- mond, leader of the inde- pendence campaign, cast his vote near his home in northeastern Scotland. If the Yes side prevails, he will have realized a long- held dream of leading his country to independence from an alliance with England formed in 1707. In a final speech on Wednesday night, Sal- mond told voters: "This is our opportunity of a life- time and we must seize it with both hands." P r o - i nd e p e nd e nc e forces got a last-minute boost from tennis star Andy Murray, who sig- naled his support of the Yes campaign in a tweet to his 2.7 million followers early Thursday. A nti-independence leaders, including for- mer Prime Minister Gor- don Brown, have im- plored Scots not to break their links with the rest of the United Kingdom, and have stressed the eco- nomic uncertainties inde- pendence would bring. BRITAIN MATT DUNHAM — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A Yes campaign washing line for the Scottish independence referendum stands backdropped by Edinburgh Castle, in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Thursday. Scots decide future amid excitement, apprehension N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY Contact your Daily News advertising representative or Daleen Baker at (530) 527-2151 FULL PAGES Published weekly on Wednesdays: October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Fresh, professionally-produced feature content for readers each week including the story of "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" 3 inch (2 column) by 2 inch Sponsor Box Month-long Exposure in Print and Online editions $258 DEADLINE For 5 week run Monday, September 29 Only 15 program support spaces available! Join us in our mission to support "Think Pink" and help to keep the vital importance of early detection top of mind in Tehama County, all month long! | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 8 A