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Democratic hawk urges Iraq pullout

Posted on: Thursday, 17 November 2005, 14:43 CST

By Vicki Allen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic congressional leader on defense called on Thursday for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, increasing pressure for a change in Bush administration policy just days after the Senate asked for a plan to end the war.

"The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home," said Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, the senior Democrat on the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees military spending and one of his party's top spokesmen on defense.

Murtha's remarks followed a string of sharp attacks by President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney against critics of the administration's Iraq war policy and its handling of intelligence that led to the war.

Murtha, a defense hawk, decorated Vietnam War veteran and retired Marine colonel, responded with a reference to the draft deferments that kept Cheney out of Vietnam.

"I like guys who got five deferments and (have) never been there and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done," Murtha said.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada accused the White House of "a weak, spineless display of politics at a time of war" with its campaign against its Iraq-policy critics.

Murtha, who supported the Iraq war but criticized Bush's handling of it, urged the administration to pull out U.S. troops as soon as it could be done safely. He estimated it would take about six months.

Republicans fired back quickly against the lawmaker who has served in Congress since 1974 and been a trusted defense adviser to presidents of both parties.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said Murtha and other Democratic critics "would prefer that the United States surrender to the terrorists who would harm innocent Americans."

Rep. Geoff Davis, a Kentucky Republican, said Democratic leaders have "cooperated with our enemies and are emboldening our enemies."

Murtha said he will introduce a resolution calling for the return of U.S. forces in Iraq "at the earliest practicable date." He called the war "a flawed policy wrapped in illusion."

A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday said 63 percent of Americans oppose Bush's handling of the Iraq war, and 52 percent say troops should be pulled out now or within 12 months.

QUICK WITHDRAWAL

Just a handful of Democrats who opposed the war from the start have called for a quick withdrawal. Most have urged the administration to provide a withdrawal plan based on conditions on the ground.

"The American public is way ahead of the members of Congress," Murtha said.

The administration has vehemently opposed any mention of withdrawal timetables, which it calls a "cut and run" strategy that would only fuel the insurgency. It is trying to build up Iraq's military so that U.S. troops can eventually leave.

But many Republicans were growing anxious about prospects in Iraq.

"We've got what I think is six months for this thing to begin to shape up ... to avoid a civil war," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner of Virginia.

The Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly backed a resolution saying the Iraqis should start taking the lead in their own security next year to allow a phased U.S. withdrawal, but it rejected a Democratic resolution demanding an estimated timetable from Bush.

Murtha argued that U.S. troops have become targets who have united the insurgency, and that continued deployments are breaking the military.

There are 153,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, increased from the usual 138,000 to tighten security for elections in October and December. Another 22,000 troops from U.S. allies are also serving in Iraq.

Murtha said a "quick reaction force" should be kept to deal with emergencies in the region, but not with a possible civil war in Iraq. Iraq's stability should be pursued diplomatically, not militarily, he said.

(additional reporting by Charles Aldinger and Donna Smith)

Source: REUTERS

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