By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
August 24, 2007
WASHINGTON - Sen. John Warner's call for troop withdrawals
from Iraq is likely to ratchet up pressure on President Bush
substantially and lend momentum to Democratic efforts to end
U.S. combat.
Warner, R-Va., former chairman of the Armed Services Committee
and Navy secretary during the Vietnam War, said Bush should
bring some troops home by Christmas. Doing so, he told reporters
Thursday, would send a powerful message that the U.S. commitment
in Iraq was not open-ended.
Warner says the president should get to decide when and how
many troops should leave. Bush has opposed setting a date to
pull out troops and contends that conditions on the ground
should dictate deployments.
"I'm hopeful that this (redeployment) could lead to more
emphasis on the Iraqi forces taking the major responsibility,
as it relates to the internal insurgency in that country," the
Virginia Republican said.
Warner's suggestion comes as a new intelligence assessment
says Iraqis have failed to govern effectively or reach the
political compromises believed necessary to tamp down sectarian
violence.
Overall, the report finds that Iraq's security will continue
to "improve modestly" over the next six to 12 months,
provided that coalition forces mount strong counterinsurgency
operations and mentor Iraqi forces. But even then, violence
levels will remain high as the country struggles to achieve
national political reconciliation, and the Iraqi government
led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is likely to become increasingly
vulnerable because of criticism from various Shiite, Sunni
and Kurdish factions.
"The strains of the security situation and absence of
key leaders have stalled internal political debates, slowed
national decision-making, and increased Maliki's vulnerability" to
factions that could form a rivaling coalition, the document
says.
Democrats say the grim report and Warner's conclusion bolster
their position that Bush should change course and start bringing
troops home this fall. Party leaders this year tried to pass
legislation ordering troops home this fall, but repeatedly
fell short of the 60 votes needed in the Senate to pass.
"Our military has performed their duties excellently,
but the purpose of the escalation in Iraq was to create a secure
environment in which political change could occur, and it is
clear that the Iraqi leaders have failed to make progress," said
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Republican leaders countered that the intelligence assessment
bolsters their position that U.S. troops should stay. The report
warns that limiting the mission of U.S. forces to a support
role and counterterrorist operations as Democrats and some
Republicans suggest would "erode security gains achieved
thus far."
"The fact that Democratic leaders continue to push for
precipitous withdrawal despite the significant progress our
troops are making shows just how deeply invested they are in
failure," said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Democrats agree the military has made substantial gains in
Iraq, but they say the progress made is useless if the Iraqi
government is unable to take control.
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