February 11, 2009 5:08 PM
- Text
Bush And Democrats Near Iraq Showdown
(CBS/AP)
President Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress lurched toward a veto showdown over Iraq on Wednesday, the commander in chief demanding a replenishment of war funding with no strings and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi counseling him, "Calm down, take a breath."
Mr. Bush said imposition of a "specific and random date of withdrawal would be disastrous" for U.S. troops in Iraq and he predicted that lawmakers would take the blame if the money ran short.
"The clock is ticking for our troops in the field," he said. "If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops on the front lines, the American people will know who to hold responsible."
Mr. Bush spoke as the Senate moved toward passage of legislation that would require the beginning of a troop withdrawal within 120 days and would set a goal of March 31, 2008, for its completion.
The final vote on the Senate bill is expected Thursday, CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.
According to a new CBS News poll conducted before Tuesday's Senate vote, 59 percent of those surveyed favored the proposal while 37 percent are opposed.
The House approved a more sweeping measure last week, including a mandatory withdrawal deadline for nearly all combat troops of Sept. 1, 2008.
Both bills would provide more than $90 billion to sustain military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
After passage, the next step would be a House-Senate compromise measure almost certain to include conditions that Mr. Bush has said he finds objectionable. The president's remarks seemed designed to lay the political groundwork for a veto showdown with the new Democratic majority later this spring.
Confidently predicting his veto would be sustained in Congress, he said, "Funding for our forces in Iraq will begin to run out in mid-April. Members of Congress need to stop making political statements and start providing vital funds for our troops. They need to get that bill to my desk so I can sign it into law."
One key Democrat with longtime ties to the Pentagon, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said Mr. Bush was exaggerating, and he estimated the real deadline for a fresh infusion of funds was June 1.
Gordon Adams, a former Clinton administration official specializing in defense issues, said the Pentagon has authority to transfer existing funds between accounts. "So into June, while it's painful, it's possible" for the military to maintain operations, he said.
Sen. John McCain, a 2008 Republican presidential aspirant and one of the war's most ardent supporters, told CBS' The Early Show that Senate Democrats, "made a big mistake yesterday."
McCain explained successes such as the U.S. military's gaining trust with sheiks in the Anbar province and diminishing violence in Baghdad demands that the U.S. pushes forward in Iraq.
"We mismanaged this war for four years. And it's taken a while. And it will take a while longer," McCain said. Echoing the president, the Arizona Republican said the consequences of failure "will follow us home."
"The Congress has two congressional authorities: one is to declare war, one is to fund wars. Congress has no authority to manage wars," McCain said. "If they want them home as they say they do, then cut off funds and bring them home tomorrow.
"But see if they did that, then they would have responsibility for the consequences of doing that," McCain said.
Mr. Bush said imposition of a "specific and random date of withdrawal would be disastrous" for U.S. troops in Iraq and he predicted that lawmakers would take the blame if the money ran short.
"The clock is ticking for our troops in the field," he said. "If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops on the front lines, the American people will know who to hold responsible."
Mr. Bush spoke as the Senate moved toward passage of legislation that would require the beginning of a troop withdrawal within 120 days and would set a goal of March 31, 2008, for its completion.
The final vote on the Senate bill is expected Thursday, CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.
According to a new CBS News poll conducted before Tuesday's Senate vote, 59 percent of those surveyed favored the proposal while 37 percent are opposed.
The House approved a more sweeping measure last week, including a mandatory withdrawal deadline for nearly all combat troops of Sept. 1, 2008.
Both bills would provide more than $90 billion to sustain military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
After passage, the next step would be a House-Senate compromise measure almost certain to include conditions that Mr. Bush has said he finds objectionable. The president's remarks seemed designed to lay the political groundwork for a veto showdown with the new Democratic majority later this spring.
Confidently predicting his veto would be sustained in Congress, he said, "Funding for our forces in Iraq will begin to run out in mid-April. Members of Congress need to stop making political statements and start providing vital funds for our troops. They need to get that bill to my desk so I can sign it into law."
One key Democrat with longtime ties to the Pentagon, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said Mr. Bush was exaggerating, and he estimated the real deadline for a fresh infusion of funds was June 1.
Gordon Adams, a former Clinton administration official specializing in defense issues, said the Pentagon has authority to transfer existing funds between accounts. "So into June, while it's painful, it's possible" for the military to maintain operations, he said.
Sen. John McCain, a 2008 Republican presidential aspirant and one of the war's most ardent supporters, told CBS' The Early Show that Senate Democrats, "made a big mistake yesterday."
McCain explained successes such as the U.S. military's gaining trust with sheiks in the Anbar province and diminishing violence in Baghdad demands that the U.S. pushes forward in Iraq.
"We mismanaged this war for four years. And it's taken a while. And it will take a while longer," McCain said. Echoing the president, the Arizona Republican said the consequences of failure "will follow us home."
"The Congress has two congressional authorities: one is to declare war, one is to fund wars. Congress has no authority to manage wars," McCain said. "If they want them home as they say they do, then cut off funds and bring them home tomorrow.
"But see if they did that, then they would have responsibility for the consequences of doing that," McCain said.
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