Democrats mull ditching Iraq troop cut date

Democrats mull ditching Iraq troop cut date

by Stephen Collinson
1 hour, 9 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Key Democrats in Congress, frustrated by repeated failures to get troops home from Iraq, are backing away from fixed withdrawal timelines, hoping to win Republican backing for anti-war measures.

The move appears to be a sign the party has concluded that President George W. Bush's once-shaky Republican support in the US Senate has solidified, days before the White House unveils a critical report on the war.

Democratic Senator Carl Levin said he was considering legislation which would mandate withdrawals of most combat troops to begin within four months, but not, like previous bills, include a firm date for them to be completed.

The hope is that the approach could attract enough Republican senators to assemble the 60-vote Senate supermajority needed to pass major legislation.

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“The unfortunate truth is that Iraq’s leaders have not taken meaningful steps toward building a country that can stand on its own in spite of President Bush spending almost $3 billion each week on this war.

“The release of the Bush/Petraeus report this week is yet another chance to evaluate these shortcomings and finally change course. We must responsibly end the war and return our focus where it belongs: defeating Al Qaeda and fighting a real, effective war on terrorism.