AUGUSTA – U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe demanded Monday that the Senate debate resolutions opposing President’s Bush’s policies in Iraq, charging the body is “dithering” while the House of Representatives takes up the issue.

“The question is when and if the United States Senate is going to have that debate on a specific resolution, on specific issues and with specific votes,” the Maine Republican said in a floor speech in Washington. “I don’t see any evidence of working on a bipartisan basis.”

Snowe said it is a “disappointment” that the two political parties cannot agree on how to move forward to hold a debate on the “most crucial issue of our time,” even if there is strong disagreement over what the policies should be.

“What are we afraid of?” she asked. “It’s not unheard of that the political parties on the two different sides of the aisle have differing views. We should be debating these resolutions.”

Snowe had joined with Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and fellow Maine Sen. Susan Collins in urging that the Senate debate the various Iraq resolutions this week. She blasted the apparent deadlock between the party leaders in the Senate on scheduling debate.

“As Senator Collins told you earlier, we lost another from Maine this weekend,” Snowe said in her 20-minute speech. “Sgt. Eric Ross, 26. These men and women have put themselves on the front line, and yet we sit here and hesitate. The U.S. House of Representatives is going to be debating this issue this week while the United States Senate is dithering. While our troops are on the front line, the Senate is sitting on the sidelines.”

Collins said the Senate has a long tradition of fully debating issues no matter how difficult and complex, and the Iraq policy debate should be no different.

“We disagree on the road ahead,” she said in her floor speech. “But that is what democracy and the traditions of the United States Senate are all about. We shouldn’t be afraid of this debate.”

Meanwhile, both 1st District Rep. Tom Allen and 2nd District Rep. Michael Michaud are expected to speak in support of a nonbinding resolution circulated by House Democratic leaders Monday that basically opposes the president’s plan to increase the number of troops in Iraq. Debate is expected throughout the week with a vote on Friday.

Supporters said the House resolution was written to draw the broadest possible support, and while it states opposition to the president’s decision, it states “Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States armed forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq.”

The Senate has no scheduled debate on any of the various Iraq resolutions that have been proposed. Both Maine senators pledged during their speeches Monday to work to get a debate sooner rather than later.