House push for Iraq pullout date

The US House of Representatives on Friday voted to impose a September 1, 2008 deadline for withdrawing all American combat troops from Iraq...

The US House of Representatives on Friday voted to impose a September 1, 2008 deadline for withdrawing all American combat troops from Iraq, prompting a quick veto promise from President George W Bush.

In a mostly partisan 218-212 vote, House Democrats succeeded in attaching the deadline to legislation spending more than US124 billion in emergency funds, most of it for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year.

8220;The American people do not support a war without end and neither should this Congress,8221; said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, calling the Iraq war 8220;a grotesque mistake8221;.

Bush, who as commander-in-chief does not want Democratic lawmakers meddling in the war, condemned the House vote. 8220;They set rigid restrictions that would require an army of lawyers to interpret. They set an arbitrary date for withdrawal with no regard for conditions on the ground. And they tacked on billions in pet projects that have nothing to do with winning the war on terror,8221; Bush said.

The narrow margin of the vote was far short of what Democrats would need to override any presidential veto. Debate now shifts to the Senate, which could vote as early next week on its version of the war-spending bill.

Senate Democrats have crafted slightly different timetables for removing troops from Iraq. Under their plan, which Republican leaders oppose, the Pentagon would begin withdrawing troops no later than four months after enactment of the legislation. The measure sets a 8220;goal8221;, not a requirement, of finishing a withdrawal by March 31, 2008.

The House vote was a significant victory for Pelosi and her fellow Democrats, who took control of Congress in November on a pledge to end the unpopular war in Iraq.

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Two years ago, most lawmakers shied away from speaking out against the war. Friday8217;s vote underscored the change. 8220;One of the things that accounted for this result,8221; said Democrat Barney Frank, 8220;is that public opinion has continued to move. 8230; People are very anti-war8221;.

Despite polls showing broad dissatisfaction with the war, Bush has increased US troop strength to quell violence in Baghdad.

Representative David Obey of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said a vote for the Bill would mean 8220;that we8217;re going to end the permanent, long-term, dead-end baby-sitting service8221;.

All but two House Republicans voted against the bill, which they say will tie the military8217;s hands and invite failure.