Very interesting: Lawmakers push resolution on Iraq pullout By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer Last Updated 12:36 am PDT Friday, June 17, 2005 WASHINGTON (AP) - 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. Other Democrats quickly signed onto the 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. Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said such timetables won't work, suggesting insurgents would simply wait for U.S. forces to withdraw before attacking. Lt. Gen. James Conway, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "If you look at it from the insurgents' perspective - they know our history, just like we study them - and they see where we have withdrawn previously, in Vietnam, in Beirut, in Somalia, and nothing would make them happier, I suppose, than to think that there is a deadline out there." The Bush administration has insisted that a timetable for withdrawal can't be considered until Iraq's security forces are strong enough to protect their country from insurgents. While many Democrats and some Republicans repeatedly have voted against continued funding for the war, there has been no previous concerted joint effort 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 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. Conway, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, acknowledged the poll numbers were down. He said the U.S. military has to be concerned about indications "our public is not as supportive as perhaps they once were." But Conway also said, "We'd like, I believe, to try to reverse those figures and start the trend back the other direction because it's extremely important to the soldier and the Marine, the airmen and the sailor over there to know that their country's behind them." 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. "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.
