US lawmakers press Bush on Iraq withdrawal

US lawmakers press Bush on Iraq withdrawal
By Edward Luce in Washington
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: March 24 2007 02:00 | Last updated: March 24 2007 02:00


The US House of Representatives yesterday delivered its most stinging rebuke so far over the Iraq war when it attached conditions to a $124bn emergency funding bill that would force US combat troops to withdraw by 2008.

President George W. Bush, who said he would veto the bill in the unlikely event it reached his desk, dismissed the move as an act of "political theatre" by House Democrats that would delay the flow of vital resources to US troops in the field.

However, the measure, passed by a vote of 218 to 212, is unlikely to find strong echo in the Senate, which votes on a similar bill next week and where the Democrats will almost certainly lack the numbers to override the 60 votes needed to forestall a Republican filibuster. Were the Senate to push the measure through, however, the Democrats would still lack the two-thirds votes needed to override Mr Bush's promised veto. Republicans yesterday also attacked the bill for including hundreds of millions of dollars in special interest funding designed to win over wavering lawmakers. The legislation would impose penalties if Iraq's government fails to meet performance benchmarks, with US troops pulling out sooner if Baghdad meets fewer benchmarks.

Even if the Iraqi government met these goals on time all US forces would be required to leave by September 2008. "The Democrats in the House voted to substitute their judgment for that of our military commanders on the ground in Iraq," said Mr Bush in a short statement following the vote. "The bill has too much pork, too many conditions and an artificial timetable for withdrawal . . . I will veto it if it comes to my desk."

However, its passage also marks something of a triumph for Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, who overcame potentially deep Democratic splits over the Iraq war to cobble together a narrow majority. Only 14 of the 233 House Democrats opposed the measure, with most of the dissenters on the liberal wing of the party who argued the bill did not go far enough in forcing a rapid end to the war.

A small number of "Blue Dog" - or centrist - Democrats also opposed it on the grounds that Congress should not undercut the commander-in-chief's ability to prosecute a war. Two Republicans supported the bill.

The bill also included billions of dollars in extra money for US veterans' care and military hospitals following revelations last month of appalling conditions at Walter Reed and other army medical centres.

"As I have said from the beginning, the war in Iraq is a grotesque mistake," said Ms Pelosi.

"The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. After four years of war, Iraq is in chaos, and the government is not being held accountable. Benchmarks without deadlines are just words."