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| Bush rules out shift in Iraq strate |
| Bush rules out shift in Iraq strategy
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 11-July-2007
10:13:40 AM |
| President George W Bush threatened to veto legislation setting a date for a troop withdrawal from Iraq despite growing bipartisan calls in Congress for an end to US participation in the war and sharp criticism of the Iraqi government.
As the Senate on Tuesday opened a new debate on the conflict, one of the president's staunchest supporters bluntly said the administration had pursued the wrong policy for years after toppling Saddam Hussein.
''The strategy we had before was not the right strategy,'' said Republican Senator Christopher Bond. ''We should have had a counterinsurgency strategy.''
Asked later who bore responsibility for the error, Bond said, ''Ultimately, obviously, the president.''
Democrats said Bush's newest strategy was hardly a success, either.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that since Bush ordered thousands more troops to Iraq last winter, ''we've lost more than 600 troops, costing the American taxpayers more than $60 billion. The escalation has done nothing to bring the Iraqi government together. It's done absolutely nothing to lessen the violence in Iraq.''
Two Democrats, Senators Carl Levin and Jack Reed, back legislation to require a troop withdrawal to begin within 120 days, to be completed by the end of April 2008.
A vote is expected next week, and Reid said nearly all Democrats support the proposal. Republican Senator Gordon Smith is a supporter, as well, and Republican Senator Olympia Snowe told reporters she may switch her position and vote for it, too.
Senate proposal
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would call for a vote on a similar measure by week's end.
The Senate proposal appears to be short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a threatened Republican filibuster. Bush's veto threat applied to any legislation that sets an arbitrary date for withdrawal ''without regard to conditions on the ground or the recommendations of commanders.''
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