In the shadow of a Congressional call to withhold federal funds and thousands of demonstrators, the Berkeley City Council voted early this morning to rescind a resolution that said that Marine recruiters who chose to remain in the city would do so as “uninvited and unwelcome intruders,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

While the council’s new resolution recognizes “the recruiters’ right to locate in our city and the right of others to protest or support their presence,” the group voted against formally apologizing for the January resolution that garnered so much attention.

However, that has not satisfied Rep. John B.T. Campbell, a Republican of California, who introduced last week the so-called Semper Fi Act, HR 5222, which would redirect to the Marine Corps any money in the 2008 omnibus spending bill earmarked for the city of Berkeley or the University of California campus there.

In a statement this morning, Representative Campbell said, “Last night, the Berkeley City Council met once again and decided to rescind the letter to the Marine Corps. This is an ineffective attempt at appeasing the situation, and I have no intention of rescinding the Semper Fi Act.” He added, “Even with this toothless change, the Berkeley City Council continues to indicate that they have a disdain for and lack of appreciation for the Marine Corps, and the service they provide to the country.”

As of yesterday, Representative Campbell’s bill had 71 House cosponsors. A companion bill in the Senate, S 2596, was introduced by Sen. Jim W. DeMint, a Republican of South Carolina. It had 10 cosponsors as of yesterday. —JJ Hermes