Iraq: Capitol Hill's War Of Words

Frist Slams Democratic-Backed Resolutions On Troop Withdrawal

(CBS/AP)  "We need a deadline for the redeployment of U.S. forces in Iraq." say Kerry and Feingold, in a joint statement. "A strong national security policy begins with recognizing that our massive presence in Iraq weakens our security and gives Iraqi politicians a crutch to avoid creating stability in their country."

They argue that "as long as 130,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq indefinitely, that country will remain what a series of mistakes have made it -- a crucible for the recruitment and development of terrorists determined to fight Americans and an obstacle to an Iraqi government capable of governing and securing its country. Our troops have done their job in Iraq. It is time to redeploy."

Kerry, Feingold and Boxer intend to push for a vote on their resolution, which would require the administration to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by July 1, 2007. It would leave in place only U.S. troops essential to training Iraqi security forces, conducting counterterrorism operations and protecting U.S. personnel and facilities.

The Kerry-Feingold-Boxer resolution is expected to be rejected overwhelmingly.

Tuesday's debate comes a week after the GOP-controlled Senate and House soundly rejected timetables for pulling U.S. forces out of Iraq, back-to-back votes that forced lawmakers in both parties to go on record on the issue less than five months before midterm elections.

As the U.S. death toll and war spending continue to climb, polls show the public increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of the conflict.

Democrats in Congress have long been split over the way ahead in Iraq, and Republicans have sought to highlight those divisions in recent weeks. In control of Congress, the GOP is seeking a political advantage as recent polls show the public favoring Democrats to run the House and Senate.

Last week, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was unable to get her caucus to rally around one position on Iraq. Senate Democrats also spent the week struggling to come up with a "consensus" position.