Cheney: Iraq war undercut by plans in Congress
Source: Reuters
(Updates with Reid paragraphs 10-12) By Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. war effort in Iraq is being undercut by members of Congress calling for deadlines and funding restrictions that simply encourage the enemy to "wait us out," Vice President Dick Cheney said on Monday. "When members of Congress pursue an anti-war strategy that's been called slow bleed, they're not supporting the troops, they're undermining them," Cheney said in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group. Democrats, whose opposition to the Iraq war helped them win control of Congress in the 2006 elections, say they support U.S. forces but want President George W. Bush to alter his war strategy to bring troops home. "When members of Congress speak not of victory but of time limits, deadlines or other arbitrary measures, they're telling the enemy simply to watch the clock and wait us out," Cheney said, reiterating the administration's long-held view. The war has become deeply unpopular and recent opinion polls show more than 65 percent of Americans disapprove of Bush's handling of Iraq. Bush has called for sending 26,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq in a new strategy for trying to stabilize Baghdad and restive Anbar province. He has requested $100 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. SENATE VOTE WEDNESDAY Democratic leaders in Congress last week proposed withdrawing all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by mid-2008, but the White House said Bush would veto such legislation. The troop withdrawal proposal was expected to be attached to legislation to fund the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Bush opposes putting conditions on the funding. "My hope, of course, is that Congress provides the funding necessary for the combat troops to be able to do their job -- without any strings attached," Bush said on Sunday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said the Senate would vote on Wednesday on whether to consider the Democrats' proposal that sets a goal of withdrawing all U.S. combat troops by the end of March 2008. Republicans have twice prevented the Senate from taking up similar measures. Under Senate rules 60 votes are needed to consider the legislation and Democrats have a 51-49 majority. Reid said Americans were losing about 20 soldiers a week and spending $280 million a day in Iraq. "It's a downward spiral that will continue unless the Senate joins the American people in demanding a new direction in Iraq," he said. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky and Susan Cornwell)
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