Lawmakers Urge Iraq Pullout

President Bush would have to start bringing home U.S. troops from Iraq by Oct. 1, 2006, under a measure a small bipartisan group of House lawmakers — including a Republican who voted for war — proposed Thursday.

Two Republicans and two Democrats introduced a resolution that would require the president to announce by the end of this year a plan for withdrawing troops and steps for following through on that plan.

It is the first such resolution put forth by lawmakers from both parties, although an overwhelming number of Democrats and six House Republicans voted in 2002 against sending troops to Iraq.

In no uncertain terms, the administration regards it as a mistake to set a date for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, reports CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller.

"It's important that we succeed and that means completing the mission," Press Secretary Scott McClellan said Thursday.

"We all want our troops home soon," he said, but not while they're still needed to thwart terrorists trying to derail Iraq's transition to democracy.

While many Democrats and some Republicans repeatedly have voted against continued funding for the war, there has been no concerted joint effort before to bring troops home.

A low-water mark of 41 percent of adults said in an Associated Press-Ipsos poll this month that they supported Mr. Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. And a Gallup poll released Monday found that six in 10 Americans say they think the United States should withdraw some or all of its troops from Iraq.Car bombings and attacks by insurgents killed 80 U.S. troops and more than 700 Iraqis last month. Pentagon officials acknowledge the level of violence is about the same as a year ago.

Among the resolution's sponsors are Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., who voted for the Iraq war but now says the United States has done what it can in Iraq and the reason for going to war — Saddam Hussein's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction — has been proven false.

Jones say he started rethinking the war after attending the funeral of a marine in his district who left a wife and three young children, reports CBS News Correspondent Bob Fuss.

"After 1,700 deaths, over 12,000 wounded, and $200 billion spent, we believe it is time to have this debate and discussion on this resolution," Jones said.

Two years ago, Jones helped lead an effort to ensure Capitol Hill cafeterias retooled their menus to advertise "freedom fries" instead of French fries to protest France's opposition to the war.

The other resolution sponsors are Ron Paul, R-Texas, who voted against the war, and two Democrats who've opposed it, Reps. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii.