Bush To Congress: Come Back From Break And Pass Iraq Spending Bill

President Bush challenged Congress on Tuesday to return early from its Easter recess to approve a funding bill for the war in Iraq in order to advance the escalating standoff between the White House and congressional Democrats over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from that war-ravaged country.

“They need to come off their vacation" and get a bill to the president's desk, Bush said, after reiterating his pledge to veto any legislation that includes a deadline for withdrawal, benchmarks for the American military or excessive non-military spending. Separate plans approved by the House and Senate last month include all three.

Democratic leaders have not yet named negotiators to reconcile the separate bills, creating uncertainty about the timeline for completing a measure to send to the president’s desk.

Bush’s threat comes the day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) endorsed a plan to cut off funds for the war by April 2008, escalating his own opposition to the U.S. military presence in Iraq as well as that of congressional Democrats in their showdown with the White House.

“There has been a political dance going on in Washington,” Bush said of that effort and others by Democratic leaders to increase pressure on him.

During a morning news conference in the White House Rose Garden, the president also criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday for stopping in Syria during her swing through the Middle East this week, saying it sends mixed signals to the international community, particularly U.S. allies in the region. Pelosi stopped in Syria on Tuesday.

"A lot of people have gone to see President Assad....and yet we haven't seen action. He hasn't responded," Bush said. "Sending delegations doesn't work. It's simply been counterproductive.”

Bush said Assad has failed to contain violent members of Hamas and Hezbollah despite repeated requests by the international community rein in the militant factions of those organizations.

During the news conference, the president downplayed his perceived isolation from Republicans on the Hill. Bush cited a number of pending issues – energy, immigration and a reauthorization of his national education standards – on which Republicans at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are in agreement.

“I think you’ll find that the White House and the Hill will work in close coordination,” Bush said.

GOP leaders in the House have expressed significant resistance to his stance on immigration and the reauthorization of his signature No Child Left Behind Bill later this year.