U.S. President George W. Bush speaks after visiting
wounded military personnel at the National Naval Medical Center in
Bethesda, Maryland May 25, 2007.Bush on Friday
signed a war-funding bill that erased a timetable to withdraw troops from
Iraq from its previous version.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
WASHINGTON, May 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday signed a
war-funding bill that erased a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq from its
previous version.
The move followed a bitter struggle with Democrats
who sought unsuccessfully to tie the funding to timeline for U.S. troop
withdrawals.
Bush had rejected a previous version of the bill
because it contained a withdrawal timetable.
Faced with continued White House opposition after the
veto, the Democratic leadership agreed to drop the withdrawal language so the
bill could be signed by Bush before the end of the month.
Both the House of the Representatives and the Senate
passed the new bill Thursday.
Signing the bill in Camp David, Maryland, Bush said
Friday that the measure provides troops "with the funding and flexibility they
need to protect our country."
"Rather than mandate arbitrary timetables for troop
withdrawals or micromanage our military commanders, this legislation enables our
servicemen and women to follow the judgment of commanders on the ground," he
said.
Instead of setting any timetable, the bill contains a
set of political benchmarks that the Iraqi government should meet to keep U.S.
reconstruction aid flowing.
It also requires Bush to submit reports in July and
September indicating progress in meeting those goals.
Nevertheless, the bill for the first time explicitly
states that U.S. forces would leave Iraq if asked by the Iraqi government.
Democrats have vowed to continue their efforts to end
the war even they were forced to drop timetable from the funding bill.
They are planning to write anti-war language into
defense appropriations and defense authorization bills over the summer.
Meanwhile, moderate Republicans are growingly
frustrated about Bush's unpopular war policy, worrying it could damp their
chances in next year's elections.
It is unclear how long the president can count on the
firm support from his fellow Republicans on Iraq policy.
Sen. John Warner, a Republican heavyweight, said if
conditions in Iraq do not improve by mid-July, Bush should reconsider his
strategy.
WASHINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Both the U.S. Senate and
the House of Representatives passed a war funding bill Thursday night without
setting a timeline to withdraw troops, thus ending a standoff between Democrats
and the Bush administration.
As the bill has now cleared Congress, President George W.
Bush is expected to sign it into law Friday. Full story
WASHINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of
Representatives on Thursday passed a war-funding bill without setting a timeline
to withdraw troops from Iraq, essentially ending a standoff between Democrats
and the Bush administration.
The measure passed through the House in two votes:
the first approved a minimum wage increase, along with about 20 billion U.S.
dollars in domestic spending. Full story
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