This afternoon the House of Representatives passed a resolution expressing its opposition to President George W. Bush’s 21,500 troop surge for Iraq. With a final vote of 246-182, fewer Republicans than expected jumped ship, though two that did are locals — Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) and Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-Md.).

Davis, known to be a moderate on some issues, spoke on Wednesday, noting:

Still, knowing what we know today, after almost four years of attempted nation-building on the shifting sands of Iraq, the plan to put 21,000 more Americans in harm’s way there has to be viewed with a cold-eyed skepticism born of that hard experience. Putting American troops between feuding Sunni and Shia in the middle of Baghdad, in my judgment, is a mistake. This is the appropriate place for Iraqis, not Americans.

Davis also stressed that while he would vote for the legislation, he didn’t see it as a constructive means to resolve the conflict in Iraq. Gilchrest, another moderate, spoke on the same day, expressing his desire for a diplomatic approach involving Iran and Syria and calling on Bush to heed the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group:

What is the framework for cooperation with the Iraq people, the Iraq Government, and the problems with sectarian violence? That is in the Iraq Study Group. What about a new diplomatic initiative with all of Iraq’s neighbors, including Iran and Syria? How about consultation with Congress? Vote for this resolution, and we can move on to end the violence, the sectarian chaos, the foolish, bitter electronic exchanges between countries, electronic exchanges, instead of face-to-face conversations. That effort, fully implemented, will bring our troops home sooner. They will have a brighter future, and the generations to come for the people in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As with the rest of the Virginia and Maryland delegations, these votes were to be expected. Both Davis and Gilchrest are Republicans, though both represent districts that are either urban and increasingly moderate (Northern Virginia) or in a state with a strong Democratic tradition (Maryland). Their constituents will likely support them, though some conservative groups have already marked them as the Republicans who “decided today to end their political careers.”