Leading House Democrat urges Iraq withdrawal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A leading pro-defense Democrat in
the House of Representatives on Thursday urged the Bush
administration to start the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops
from Iraq.

“The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq
militarily. It is time to bring them home,” said Rep. John
Murtha of Pennsylvania, a senior Democrat on the subcommittee
that oversees military spending.

Murtha’s remarks followed attacks from the Bush
administration on critics of its Iraq war policy and its
handling of intelligence that led to the war.

Murtha urged the administration to “immediately redeploy
U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces.”

He also called for creation of a “quick reaction force” in
the region, keeping some presence of Marines, and to
diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq.

“We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident
that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best
interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or
the Persian Gulf region,” said Murtha, a leading Democratic
spokesman on defense issues.