WASHINGTON, April 25, 2007
House Passes Iraq Troop Pullout Bill
Legislation Approved 218-208 Despite White House Veto Threat
-
Play CBS Video Video House OKs Troop Pullout Bill The House disregarded a veto threat from President Bush and passed legislation that would start bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq by Oct. 1. Sharyl Attkisson reports.
-
Video 'Capitol Bob' On War Funding Chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer talks with Julie Chen about the expected showdown between the President and Congress over a controversial, $124-billion war spending bill.
-
Video Cheney Not Into 'Name Calling' Following his weekly meeting with Senate Republicans, Vice President Cheney stopped to talk to reporters about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's comment about the Iraq war. Sharyl Attkisson reports.
-
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, left, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are preparing to send a war funding bill to the White House. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
-
Who's Who Congress Reacts To Plan Reaction to President Bush's new Iraq stategy, which includes an increase in troops.
-
In The Spotlight Bush's New Iraq Strategy A glimpse at some of the key elements in President Bush's new plan for Iraq.
The 218-208 vote Wednesday came as the top U.S. commander in Iraq told lawmakers the country remained gripped by violence but was showing some signs of improvement.
Passage puts the bill on track to clear Congress by week's end and arrive on the president's desk in coming days as the first binding congressional challenge to Bush's handling of the conflict now in its fifth year.
“Our troops are mired in a civil war with no clear enemy and no clear strategy for success,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — the Democrat most credited with leading Congress into this head-to-head confrontation with President Bush — laid low on Wednesday, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. She skipped the meeting with Gen. David Petraeus, opting for a phone briefing instead.
Republicans promised to stand squarely behind the president in rejecting what they called a “surrender date” handed to the enemy.
“Al Qaeda will view this as the day the House of Representatives threw in the towel,” said Rep. Jerry Lewis, a Republican who is on the House Appropriations Committee.
The $124.2 billion bill would fund the war, among other things, but demand troop withdrawals begin on Oct. 1 or sooner if the Iraqi government does not meet certain standards. The bill sets a nonbinding goal of completing the troop pull out by April 1, 2008, allowing for forces conducting certain noncombat missions, such as attacking terrorist networks or training Iraqi forces, to remain.
House and Senate appropriators agreed to the legislation earlier this week. The Senate was expected to clear the measure Thursday, sending it to the president.
While Bush was confident the bill would ultimately fail because Democrats lacked the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto, he kept up pressure on lawmakers.
On the same day as the House vote, the president dispatched his Iraq commander, Petraeus, and other senior defense officials to Congress to make his case: Additional forces recently sent to Iraq are yielding mixed results and the strategy needs more time to work.
Petraeus told reporters sectarian killings in Baghdad were only a third of what they were in January, before Bush began sending in additional U.S. forces. He added that progress in the troubled western Anbar province was “breathtaking,” and that he thought Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was “doing his best” at leading the country.
But “the ability of al Qaeda to conduct horrific, sensational attacks obviously has represented a setback and is an area in which we're focusing considerable attention,” Petraeus said.
Petraeus said he would not touch on the “minefield of discussions about various legislative proposals,” but he noted that the new strategy in Iraq was just beginning. He said he planned to provide more details in early September.
Petraeus briefed his findings to lawmakers in a private room, where protesters outside chanted “Troops home now!” Republicans and Democrats alike emerged to say Petraeus had only confirmed their positions.
“This briefing reinforced our view that the solution in Iraq is a political solution,” Hoyer told reporters. Also confirmed, he said, was “our belief that we must hold the Iraqis accountable for achieving real progress.”
Rep. John Boehner, the House Republican leader, said Petraeus acknowledged there were challenges. “But considering where we are, I think the general feels good about the progress thus far,” Boehner said.
Bush said he stands firm on his latest strategy for winning the war and dismisses as counterproductive the Democratic call for withdrawal.
“That means our commanders in the middle of a combat zone would have to take fighting directions from legislators 6,000 miles away on Capitol Hill,” Bush said this week. “The result would be a marked advantage for our enemies and a greater danger for our troops.”
Petraeus' comments Wednesday put a finer point on when the much-awaited decision about the length of the U.S. troop buildup may come, saying he will make an assessment of the conditions in Iraq in early September, and report back to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other military leaders.
Gates has said he expects the assessment this summer, but this is the first time military leaders said it would not be until September.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More From Politics
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
... - 19
- next
See all 374 CommentsWE BROKE IT, millions of people will die if we pull out. And if all of the Democrats are so opposed to US troops being in a civil war why do they insist on us going to Darfur? We need to prevent what could happen.
Posted by pwrslm at 08:25 AM : Apr 26, 2007
FYI pwrslm, there is no such thing as an "ex-Marine", only former Marines. One is no longer a Marine after he leaves active duty.
Where's your combat service, "hero"?
Paulo From Brazil
pauloflygv@yahoo.com.br
There are no former marines.
Once a marine, always a marine, eh?
Semper Fi MOFO.
I dont believe you.
Posted by pwrslm at 08:16 AM : Apr 26, 2007
After serving our nation in combat now, according to you, I am a coward?
Tell me about your combat service, "hero".
BTW, this "coward's" combat service:
USMC
MAG-12
Bin Hoa, RVN
1972-1973
It appears that pwrslm subscribes to the Cheney approach to debate.
Neither will answer a direct question. Neither can debate on facts. Both respond with name-calling and insult to try to obscure the above two facts.
Posted by formrusmcsgt at 08:07 AM : Apr 26, 2007
Thats the difference between cowards and men.
Cowards are afraid to fight for freedom. In the last 200+/- years, over 600,000 men died on the battlefield for freedom, and another 400,000 /- supporting them. Your fathers father probably stood by them, your great, great grandfather probably did the same. They would look at you today with shame for falling in the pit of desparation your in, the pit of cowardice, the pit of igorance, the pit of disgrace...
It took hundreds of years to bring the last kaliphate down. It was responsible for killing over 150 million human beings. You have no clue what we are fighting for, your preference is to remain ignorant to the truth, and remain a coward behind the freedom my and everyone elses ancestors fought to give you.
How many people is America willing to let die for freedom? Ask them your self. So far, 1 million of us have died. Consider yourself blessed that you can remain a coward behind them.
I am not calling you names, I am providing you with an accurate description of your mental state and condition.
Posted by pwrslm at 08:07 AM : Apr 26, 2007
MY memory is shot? Just this morning you've called me ignorant, a moron, and McVet's butt-buddy.
You really should re-read your own posts before telling such lies. They are way to easy to expose, pwrslm.
Posted by pwrslm at 08:04 AM : Apr 26, 2007
Keep dancing, pwrslm. You'll never see victory in Iraq regardless of how much you dance.
"Dancing for victory" is as effective as dancing for rain.
Posted by pwrslm at 07:57 AM : Apr 26, 2007
This from someone who accuses others of "side-stepping"?
Posted by formrusmcsgt at 08:04 AM : Apr 26, 2007
Ive posted your answers. Your memory is shot. This is another case of willful ignorance, you really dont like my answer so you forgot it.
So what. Didnt harm me one bit. Only goes to show that I am dead on 100% correct when I call you simpleminded. I am not calling you names, I am providing you with an accurate description of your mental state and condition.
Posted by MCVet at 08:04 AM : Apr 26, 2007
Actually McVet, I think these neocons who call for thousands more dead and maimed and trillions to be wasted in Iraq are just unable to admit that their idol stepped in a huge cow *** and are willing to waste warriors and money ad infinitim to avoid accepting that fact.
Posted by MCVet
Oh come on now. Dancing? You dance on lies and conspiracy theories all month, and you tell me to stop dancing?
Are you confused a bit here? Reality? You know, that part of life that really exists, unlike your stories of gloom and doom for the United States, your total condemnation of an Elected President, daily, based on "NOTHING" more than lies, gossip, rumors, and rhetoric?
Dont tell me to stop dancing, I dance for VICTORY. NOT DEFEATISM LIKE YOU DO.
Posted by pwrslm at 07:57 AM : Apr 26, 2007
This from someone who accuses others of "side-stepping"?
lol@!! you too much, so funny...you have a right to know what? HAHAHAA!! good one.
Posted by pwrslm at 07:57 AM : Apr 26, 2007
LOL Just what I thought. There is NO limit to the number of American's you will kill nor any LIMIT to the human's that must die because the PARTY has a policy!! At long last you have become a complete FASCIST! Good to know and now everyone else knows it! There is NO LIMIT to the sacrifices we must make to the Fuehrer and the Party!!! SIEG HEIL
greats minds deal with facts, so that means your out
Posted by pwrslm at 07:53 AM : Apr 26, 2007
I am not the one who employs childish insult instead of addressing the point, pwrslm.
In regards to what you said being correct, I provided you yesterday with the definition of treason and your continued misuse of the word shows that your uptake isn't all that by any means.
Again (not that it'll do much good), here's the definition of the word "treason":
the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign's family
Now pwrslm, perhaps you would be so kind as to show us how Reid and Pelosi are guilty of the above described act as you contend by calling them traitors.
greats minds deal with facts, so that means your out
Posted by pwrslm at 07:53 AM : Apr 26, 2007
Well answer the man's question. HOW MANY DEAD would it take for you to accept that your FUEHERE has FAILED? We sit and listen to you people HOPE for some progess...any at all, while more money is poured in and more American's die. How much OF OUR resources, Lives and Tax Dollars would you be willing to give up for your PARTY? Sieg Heil and Amen.
Posted by MCVet
What?
Your trying to give us a snow job now?
For the last month Ive told you why, and for the last month you ignorantly refused to deal with facts on the topics I posted, instead, you and your buttbuddy sling insults at me, and "NOW", you want "WHAT"?
lol@!! you too much, so funny...you have a right to know what? HAHAHAA!! good one.
Posted by pwrslm at 07:50 AM : Apr 26, 2007
Stop DANCING Sparky! HOW MANY dead American's? HOW MANY men left with no arms, legs or worse? Those of us who have served under that flag, who have HEARD the sound of a man fall at our side, WE'D like to know? After 4 long years and we see NO progress but things are WORST now than when we started... HOW MANY?
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
... - 19
- next
See all 374 Comments