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"Published: 5/16/07, 8:05 AM EDT By ANNE FLAHERTY WASHINGTON (AP) - A small group of Republican senators, led by Virginia's John Warner, is coalescing around legislation that would threaten billions of dollars in U.S. aid to Iraq and make clear American troops will stay only as long as Baghdad lives up to its promises.
"The United States strategy in Iraq, hereafter, shall be conditioned on the Iraqi government meeting benchmarks," a draft of the proposal says.
The Senate was to vote on the proposal Wednesday, along with two Democratic anti-war measures.
The GOP legislation does not go as far as many Democrats want, but it offers a sharp challenge to Bush's Iraq policy by members of his own political party. It also indicates the thinning patience of many GOP members on a deeply unpopular and costly war in its fifth year.
"I think the reconstruction money has shown to have been mishandled and a large part of it has probably been wasted," said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., who was expected to back the measure. "I think before we send in more money ... we should make sure it's been spent well."http://home.bellsouth.net/s/editorial.dll?bfromind=7816&eeid=5155420&_sitecat=1504&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=0&ck=&ch=ne
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