Start U.S. Iraq withdrawal in 4-6 months: Democrats

Reuters ^ | 12 November | staff

[shrinkermd]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats, who won majorities in the U.S. Congress in last week's elections, said on Sunday they will push for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq to begin in four to six months.

"The first order of business is to change the direction of Iraq policy," said Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), a Michigan Democrat who is expected to be chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in the new Congress.

Levin, on ABC's "This Week," said he hoped some Republicans would emerge to join Democrats and press the administration of President George W. Bush to tell the Iraqi government that U.S. presence was "not open-ended."

Bush has insisted that U.S. troops would not leave Iraq until the Iraqis were able to take over security for their country.

"We need to begin a phased redeployment of forces from Iraq in four to six months," Levin said.

Speaking on the same program, Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record), a Delaware Democrat who is expected to head the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he supported Levin's proposal for a withdrawal.

[STARWISE]

That says it all!

[Salvation]

**Start U.S. Iraq withdrawal in 4-6 months: Democrats**

NO!

[Biscuit85]

Here we go...

[LadyNavyVet]

I fear the same. The President seems quite chastened by the vote. If he believes that withdrawing is the will of the American sheeple, which it is, unfortunately, I think he'll go along. He couldn't give them Rumsfeld's head on a platter fast enough, which was exactly the wrong thing to do, as it gave the Dems a taste of their new power, and now they're drunk with it. Like the emotional teenagers they are, the Dems will now test the limits of authority. With the constant MSM drumbeat about how great getting out of Iraq will be, I expect us to be mostly out by election '08.

[PISANO]

Apparently, they will succeed

If the President doesn't fight the Dims on this with every fiber of his being right up to and including IMPEACHMENT, he will be have FAILED utterly as the Commander-in-Chief and President

He can NOT ALLOW our TROOPS to have died in vain AGAIN by LOSING another war, the consequences of which will be catastrophic for our nation and it's future!

[Bernard]

Tough love? The Iraqis better get used to the idea that they can't depend on the Americans. If they need references, they can start with the Kurds, then Vietnamese and Cambodians farther back.

[LadyNavyVet]

Of course they can. Budgets can always be revisited.

[ohioman]

I hate to say it, but Osama was correct in seeing the weakness in us - about half of the US are pantywastes.

In fact, his views are similar to Hitler's view of Democracy. Let's hope he gets the same end.

However, Osama still has a good chance to win the war and when our own are against winning, it boils my blood. I despise these weak Americans as much as Osama. For they are the cancer cells that may one day grow to kill this country.

[Earthdweller]

"Can you define what a victory will be?"

A stable government of the free Iraqi people, able to defend their country independently...not a theocracy or hitler type government of bullies and tugs.

[Earthdweller]

tug=thugs...

[george76]

The 2 to 3 percent that the libertarians often got cost us many seats and control of the Senate.

I still do not understand their logic of believing that voting for someone "perfect" is ok...even when the end result is another DUmmie controlled Senate !

Plus I wonder if these Soros funded Liberatians are really so "perfect."

[dforest]

You got it. Document it, may be with peoples deaths. A sad thing!

[Doe Eyes]

A stable government of the free Iraqi people, able to defend their country independently...not a theocracy or hitler type government of bullies and tugs.

And if we leave prior to this being achieved, it would be cutting and running?

Not being argumentative, but just curious about what people what in Iraq.

[RasterMaster]

How about the same proposal for DUmocrats in congress...they need to step down and pull out NOW. Any DUmocrat who's thinking of having kids...PLEASE PULL OUT NOW!

They've proved time and time again for the last century and a half that they want nothing more than the destruction of the USA. The never got over losing in 1865.

A vote for a DUmocrat is a vote for the terrorists, since both have tried to destroy America. Any who support the DUmocrats willingly is an enemy of the United States and should be treated as such, wheather they be neighbor, family, or "friend".

The only "new tone" I want to hear is when the TERRORIST-LOVING rat party goes FLATLINE....

The DUmocrats are nothing more than Al Queda with LAWYERS instead of IEDs.

[george76]

What about the house cutting back on the funding ?

[Earthdweller]

"And if we leave prior to this being achieved, it would be cutting and running?"

It would be inhumane, elitist not to mention destabilizing. The Iraqi people voted for freedom.

[mystery-ak]

They will change that rule, watch and see.

[sonic109]

The Dems will blame all that on Bush and the moronic public will fall for it .

[Starboard]

They talk big. Let's see if they actually have the will and the votes to do it.

It will be interesting, if not painful, to watch the price of oil.

[ilgipper]

Political suicide. They barely have a majority. If I am not mistaken the military buildup and execution of the victory in the cold war was prosecuted in the 80s with a much larger Democratic majority. The White House is still run by the GOP, and that have essentially a 50/50 Senate on foreign policy with Lieberman. The Democrats simply do not have the capability to control things in the next six months.