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House OKs Iraq Pullout by Thom Jefferson Apr 25, 2007 Defiant and unified in the face of a promised presidential veto, House Democrats on Wednesday pushed through an emergency war spending bill that orders President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq no later than this fall. |
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House OKs Iraq Pullout
By NOAM N. LEVEY Los Angeles Times Published: Apr 26, 2007 WASHINGTON - Defiant and unified in the face of a promised presidential veto, House Democrats on Wednesday pushed through an emergency war spending bill that orders President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq no later than this fall. The 218-208 vote, largely along party lines, is expected to be followed today by Senate approval of the same measure. The president has promised to veto the legislation early next week. The $124 billion measure funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of the year, and provides billions for veterans' health care and other nonmilitary programs. The vote came after a fiery, partisan debate. "Our troops are mired in a civil war with no clear enemy and no clear strategy for success," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Republicans promised to stand squarely behind the president in rejecting what they called a "surrender date" handed to the enemy. "Al-Qaida will view this as the day the House of Representatives threw in the towel," said Rep. Jerry Lewis of California, ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee. Two Republicans - Reps. Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland and Walter Jones of North Carolina - joined 216 Democrats in passing the bill. Voting no were 195 Republicans and 13 Democrats. "How many more suicide bombs must kill American soldiers before this president offers a timeline for our troops to come home?" asked Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., a freshman Iraq war veteran who lost nine fellow paratroopers this week in one of the deadliest attacks of the war. "How many more military leaders must declare the war will not be won militarily before this president demands that the Iraqis stand up and fight for their country? How many more terrorists will President Bush's foreign policy breed before he focuses a new strategy, a real strategy? This bill says enough is enough." "Every generation of Americans have had their obligation to stand up and protect their country, not just for today but for tomorrow and the next generation," House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, pleaded. "We have a solemn obligation to the American people to finish the job we started." Wednesday's vote is one act in a largely scripted political drama unfolding in Washington as congressional Democrats intent on challenging the president push ahead with a bill they know will never become law. After Bush's veto, Democrats have indicated they will strip out the withdrawal timeline, send the president another version of the spending bill and attach timelines to future legislation. With rhetorical sparring between the two branches of government showing no signs of slacking, the vote underscored the determination of congressional Democrats to stick together in their face-off with the White House. The senior commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, went to Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers on the progress of the administration's current strategy to quell the violence with additional troops. After the briefing, Boehner said Petraeus told lawmakers that imposing timelines could compromise the current military initiative under way in Iraq. Senior Democratic lawmakers said Petraeus' briefings would not deter them from their plans to impose a timeline. "There's nothing ... that I heard that would change many people's minds about how to change the course in Iraq," said Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich. Democrats "continue to believe that the only [way] to change the course in Iraq is to pressure the Iraqi leaders to reach a political settlement," Levin said. Under the bill, if Bush fails to certify that the Iraqi government is making progress on a series of "reconciliation initiatives" - including disarming militias, amending its constitution and equitably dividing oil revenues among the country's sectarian communities - withdrawals must begin July 1. The plan then sets a nonbinding goal of completing the withdrawal within 180 days, which would end Dec. 27. The measure would give Bush more leeway if he can demonstrate that the Iraqi government is making progress. Under that scenario, the plan orders the withdrawal to begin Oct. 1, with a goal to complete the pullout by March 28, 2008. The Democratic plan allows some U.S. troops to remain to train Iraqi forces, protect American interests and conduct limited counterterrorism operations. Highlighting the growing readiness crisis facing the military, the plan also requires Bush to explain why military units are being deployed if they have not met standards for training and rest at their home bases. "This bill supports our troops, honors our commitments to our veterans, rebuilds our military and holds the Iraqi government accountable," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on the House floor. "It winds down the war by providing for the responsible redeployment of our combat forces." Boehner, who also has largely held his caucus together, countered that Democrats were sending a dangerous message with their plan. "We will embolden our enemies and it's our kids and their kids who will pay a very, very steep price," he said. HOW THEY VOTED How House members from Florida voted on the Iraq funding bill: YES Democrats: Boyd, Brown, Castor, Hastings, Klein, Mahoney, Meek, Wasserman Schultz, Wexler NO Republicans: Bilirakis, Brown-Waite, Buchanan, Crenshaw, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Diaz-Balart, Feeney, Keller, Mack, Mica, Miller, Putnam, Ros-Lehtinen, Stearns, Weldon, Young The Associated Press Information from The Washington Post and The Associated Press was used in this report. |
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(2007-05-06 12:23:28) Will all of the new insurgents we created go away then? | |