U.S. Democrats say will push for Iraq withdrawal
Pastor Dale Morgan
U.S. Democrats say will push for Iraq withdrawal*
12 Nov 2006 22:03:29 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Tabassum Zakaria
WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Democrats, who won control of the U.S.
Congress, said on Sunday they will push to begin withdrawing American
troops from Iraq in the next few months but the White House cautioned
against fixing timetables.
The Iraqi government must be told that U.S. presence is "not
open-ended," said Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat expected to be
chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in the new Congress that
convenes in January.
"We need to begin a phased redeployment of forces from Iraq in four to
six months," Levin said on ABC's "This Week."
President George W. Bush has insisted that U.S. troops would not leave
until Iraqis can take over security, and has repeatedly rejected setting
a timetable for withdrawal.
The White House, however, said that Bush is open to new ideas and the
president will meet on Monday with the bipartisan Iraq Study Group,
which is considering alternative approaches.
More than 2,800 American troops have been killed in Iraq since the 2003
U.S.-led invasion and the unpopular war was key in last week's elections
which swept Bush's Republican Party from power in the Senate and the
House of Representatives.
A suicide bomber killed 35 people at a police recruiting center in
Baghdad on Sunday, and four British troops were killed in an attack in
Basra.
"We need to redeploy," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada
said on CBS' "Face The Nation."
That decision should be made by military officers in Iraq, he said. "And
I think it should start within the next few months."
Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican considering another run for
president, said setting a date for withdrawal "will lead to chaos in the
region" and that more troops might be required for stability.
"I believe that there are a lot of things that we can do to salvage this
but they all require the presence of additional troops," he said on
NBC's "Meet the Press."
'FRESH LOOK'
White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten said any change in policy must
ensure Iraq can succeed as a democracy and that would be difficult on a
fixed timetable.
"The president obviously wants to take a whole fresh look at what we're
doing in Iraq," Bolten said on CBS. "Nobody is happy with what our
situation in Iraq is now."
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff, is
conducting a review of Iraq strategy at the Pentagon, and other national
security agencies will do similar reviews.
The Iraq Study Group, led by James Baker, a former secretary of state
with close ties to the Bush family, will not have its final report when
it meets with Bush.
Instead the panel was expected to gather the views of Bush, Vice
President Dick Cheney and Stephen Hadley, the White House national
security adviser, at Monday's meeting.
"The president looks forward to meeting with the Iraq Study Group and
sharing his thoughts, and discussing with them, on the way forward in
Iraq," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National
Security Council.
One approach reportedly considered by that panel was for Washington to
open a dialogue with Iran and Syria, accused by the Bush administration
of supporting terrorism and fanning instability in neighboring Iraq.
Democrats are calling for an international conference on Iraq that would
include Iran, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.
"Well, nothing is off the table. All of the options will be considered,"
Bolten said on CNN's "Late Edition" about the conference proposal.
Bush chose a member of the Iraq Study Group, former CIA Director Robert
Gates, to replace Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The nomination
requires Senate approval. (Additional reporting by Missy Ryan and Bill
Trott)