Democrats to seek March exit from Iraq

Democrats to seek March exit from Iraq

New version of war bill sets target date

By Richard Cowan, Reuters | April 24, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Congressional Democrats, ignoring a promised veto by President Bush, said yesterday that they will unveil a war funding bill setting March 31, 2008, as the goal for pulling most US troops out of Iraq.

The legislation, which still has to be approved by a special Senate and House of Representatives panel and the full Congress, would require troop withdrawals to begin no later than Oct. 1, according to the Senate's Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada.

But unlike a tougher House version of the financing bill, which would require all US combat troops to leave Iraq by Sept. 1, 2008, this new version merely establishes March as a target date for withdrawing, the approach favored by the Senate.

Democratic leaders hope to move the $100 billion war-funding bill through Congress this week, as the debate continued to rage between the Bush administration and Democrats over the handling of the war, now in its fifth year.

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