Democrats seek tougher action on Iraq

[bigtree]

February 7, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) Tired of waiting for an opportunity to try to stop the war in Iraq, some Democrats say they want to use legislation approving billions of dollars in war spending to insist that President Bush not send more troops.

Others want to use the spending measure to bring the troops home by a certain date.

"The longer we delay taking action, the greater the failure in Iraq and the larger the cost in American blood and treasure," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who supports legislation that would cap the number of troops allowed in Iraq.

Sen. Barack Obama said he would push his legislation ordering troops out of Iraq by March 2008.

Sen. John Kerry, who drafted a similar proposal, said Congress' actions will be watched carefully by voters headed to the polls in 2008.

"If the Congress is going to procrastinate, if they refuse to debate the most important issue of our time ... then that is going to be clear issue in the context of '08," said Kerry, D-Mass.

Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate have pledged to their rank-and-file that a vote on a nonbinding resolution opposing the troop buildup would merely be the first attempt to pressure Bush to shift course in the war. Other legislation will be binding, they said.

http://dwb.sacbee.com/24hour/politics/story/3547524p-12762379c.html



http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[babylonsister]

1. Good. They need to keep applying pressure; yesterday was an

encouraging first step.