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.

[StAnDeliver]

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

This man wants to jeopardize your safety and your family's safety by giving terrorists an easy win in Iraq.

Levin is an ugly man -- ugly in face and ugly in spirit. He is a rabid partisan, a Leftist fool, a union thug, and he is also the poster child for the GOP retaking Congress in '08.

The key to our renewed success in '08 is making the sheeple instantly regret their vote for a Democrat on Nov. 7. We must tie their worries that they voted for the wrong candidate to this moment in time. Which is certainly easy enough to do when a Socialist tool like Levine is aiding the enemy. That is something we can then bank on in '08.

[Earthdweller]

"LOL Who is that guy? The Mouse that Roared?"

I'm not telling. Huh...I have know Idea?....huhummm....will you please rephrase the question?

[ClaireSolt]

You are in rare form, today.

[pepperdog]

God won't like that.

[omega4179]

I thought Zarqawis replacement was already crowing all over the place about the events of last week!

[FreeReign]

You:Did they really say, 4-6 weeks?

Me:You mean months.

Actually, I was trying to point out that you said 4-6 weeks when the article said 4-6 months. No biggy

Okay. Notice the different ways we correct each other. One way is direct and then quicky moves past it. The other way is indirect and perpetuates the mistake.

No biggy.

[sphinx]

Odd how the dems were silent on this during the campaign.

[Mr_Tiki]

[Tallguy]

I love it! The Democrats are (predictably) writing checks with their mouths that their @sses can't cash. They will begin to pay a price as soon as it becomes apparent that a withraw is not in the offing.

[Candor7]

I tell you it's not possible to trust any of your neighbors, friends, or even relatives who is a Democrat.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Liberal leftists are essentially sociopaths. You are right to NOT trust them.

[RWB Patriot]

They can push for it all they want; this time, they don't have a Watergate to use against the President and the we have Hannity, Limbaugh, and Coulter to make sure that they can't color their "plans" as anything but cut and run.

Iraq is the one thing I'm somewhat confident that Bush won't back down on. If his legacy is what really matters to him, he'll make sure that the Iraq War ends well.

[tomnbeverly]

Thank a Stay at Home Conservative.... In retrospect it is like the COnservatives harping to the liberals that the only way to stop terrorism would be to make sure women could not abort babies after their First Trimester. The code pink killers would stay home on election day and the Dems would lose... America especially those that can't see beyone a border fence as the solution are the ignorant that just jeopardized the security of this nation... So I say again thank a stay at home conservative.

[tomnbeverly]

Liberals don't care... The lose Iraq position was their base line to regaining power now that they have run on it they have to act on it or they lose their base for 08... They also see it as a win win in their camp since they can continue to blame Bush... What Bush needs to do is make it perfectly clear that we will not retreat... regardless of fake timelines... Just because the Iraqi government can't or won't meet a timeline you don't run away from them...

[Gene Eric]

At this juncture, it's safe to assume the President will fight against war plan revisions he opposes which include factors that involve Congressional funding; however, this is not the point of my post.

The larger concern involves the sector of the U.S. population that understands the severity of Democratic sponsored withdrawal. Over the last few decades, we felt tremendous sorrow when reflecting on the vile hatred shown towards the returning fighters from the Vietnam War. We quietly held contempt for those bureaucrats that cut the lifelines sustaining and contributing to a U.S. success in the region. We witnessed the physical and emotional suffering of military men, women, and their families who made sacrifices others dare not consider. Today, too many Americans are facilitating either through ignorance or indifference the potential to repeat the reckless self-indulging war concessions that will inevitably scourge the innocent and inflect a sharp blow to the military and backbone of our Country. The citizen’s role in the political process is not limited to one day in November every two years. It’s an ongoing effort that’s only shunted through lack of will. We’re not to standby and remark in disbelief.

[PghBaldy]

Too many people vote as is. Illegals, felons, dead people and people too stupid to distrust the Dems, or too stupid to trust them...

[Jrabbit]

I think that the hearings being planned by Rangel....where the Generals will be brought in to testify....will signal the beginning of the end.

This election has empowered the terrorists. They know the American people will cave. My biggest fear is for the troops. The terrorists will ramp up the attacks and the dims and MSM will be salivating at the casualty numbers. God help our brave soldiers.

[PghBaldy]

I strongly believe the Dems fool Jews (and others...) into believeing the "Christian Right" is an imminent threat to their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. I hear it all the time. Some liberal Jews (and gays for that matter) think Christians are just about to start pogroms. Same with blacks. All evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

[driftless2]

"troops be home"

So will a lot of terrorists.

[george76]

I do not have the link, but I believe that Clinton said that practicing Christians were his biggest threat.

He apparently told Morris early on that he had to destroy Christian conservatives to win.

That the American Jews support the DUmmies 87 percent or so, is just stunning.