U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOTED TO WITHDRAW MOST U.S. TROOPS FROM IRAQ
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.07.2007 14:30 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. House of Representatives last night voted
to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq by April 1, acting hours after
President Bush urged Congress not to interfere in war strategy and
to maintain funding for the military.
The 223-to-201 vote, which is not enough to override Bush’s threatened
veto, came after the president delivered a report to Congress that said
Iraq is making satisfactory progress on only eight of 18 benchmarks
the United States has set for it.
Earlier yesterday, Bush defended his handling of the war and sought
to minimize the role of an increasingly restless Congress in the
conflict. He said the House and Senate should provide money for the
troops but leave the war strategy to him and U.S. military commanders.
"Congress has all the right in the world to fund.
That’s their main involvement in this war, which is to provide funds
for our troops," Bush said at a White House press conference.
Mindful that Democrats, and some Republicans, on Capitol Hill may try
to force a change in strategy, the president said lawmakers should not
be "determining how troops are positioned, or troop strength. . . . I
don’t think that would be good for the country."
While the House Democrats could not attract enough Republican support
to override a veto, last night’s vote signaled continued discontent
with Bush’s war strategy, and could be followed by a similar effort
in the Senate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president’s progress report
"makes clear that not even the White House can conclude there has been
significant progress." But House Republican leader John A. Boehner
said the House vote was meaningless, adding, "There is only one way
to end the war on radical jihadists, and that is to win."
The House bill calls for the withdrawal of combat troops to begin
within 120 days, and to be completed by April 1. It allows for a
small force to train Iraqis, protect U.S. assets, and fight terrorists.
The vote was mostly along party lines, with 219 Democrats and four
Republicans in favor, and 191 Republicans and 10 Democrats opposed.
Bush had urged Congress to wait for a more complete Iraq progress
report in September, but the Democratic-led Congress pushed forward
yesterday with their effort to mandate a pullback or pullout of
troops within months. Lawmakers pointed to a provision included in a
war-budget bill earlier this year that required significant progress
in Iraq to justify continued funding, The Boston Globe reports.