Iraq deadline approved

WASHINGTON – The Senate approved a $124 billion Iraq spending bill Thursday that would force troop withdrawals to begin as early as July 1, inviting President Bush’s veto even as party leaders and the White House launch talks to resolve their differences.

The 51-46 vote was a triumph for Democrats, who just weeks ago had worried about the political wisdom of a veto showdown with the commander in chief as troops fight on the battlefield. But Democrats are hesitant no more. And now that withdrawal language has passed both houses of Congress, even Republicans acknowledge that Bush won’t get the spending bill that he has demanded, with no strings attached.

Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both D-Wash., voted for the bill.

Bush is expected to veto the bill early next week. But bipartisan negotiations have already started on a compromise to cool the red-hot war debate, at least on the funding front.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., spoke with Bush on Thursday morning and later held initial talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Senior Democratic and Republican lawmakers began to weigh alternatives to the legislation’s most contentious provision, the binding withdrawal terms. The goal is to be more flexible but still restrain how Bush conducts the war.

The provision most likely to survive the next round is a set of political and diplomatic benchmarks for the Iraqi government. The language all but certain to be dropped, or at least diluted, would require troop withdrawals to begin as early as July 1 and no later than Oct. 1. Another sticking point is the $21 billion of domestic spending in the bill, which Bush and some Republicans have protested as pork.

A significant number of Republicans support the benchmarks – possibly enough to override a second veto, should Bush resort to that. They would prod Baghdad officials to build up military forces, crack down on militias and sectarian violence, protect minority rights, and manage Iraq’s extensive petroleum reserves.

Bush announced the benchmarks in January in a televised address, but set forth no consequences if Iraqis failed to deliver. The spending bill would make progress contingent on a continued U.S. troop commitment – although only up to a point.

On July 1, if Bush decides the Iraqis are falling short, U.S. combat forces would be withdrawn over six months. If the government shows progress, the window would be extended until Oct. 1, with troops leaving by March 2008.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has been in Washington the last several days briefing lawmakers as they voted on the spending package. He told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that despite an increase in troop levels, the overall violence hasn’t declined and warned that U.S. casualties may increase in the coming months.

Because his plan to improve security in Baghdad moved soldiers from big bases to isolated outposts in the city, “this effort may get harder before it gets easier,” he said. “It is an endeavor, again, that is going to require enormous commitment and commitment over time.”

Democratic leaders expect the negotiations on a new bill to run at least through mid-May. Although Bush has demanded the money as soon as possible, a report last month from the Congressional Research Service found that the Army has adequate funding to carry it through the end of July.

Details

Provides more than $90 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.