US House Democrats Seek January 2009 Iraq Pullout

US House Democrats Seek January 2009 Iraq Pullout
by Susan Cornwell and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush’s request for nearly $200 billion more to fund the Iraq war will not be approved unless it is linked to a plan to bring home U.S. combat troops by January 2009, the head of the House appropriations committee said on Tuesday.1002 10

Rep. David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat, told a news conference his panel would not even consider the war funding request until early 2008, by which time he estimates funding for military operations will have run out. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently outlined the request to Congress.

Obey said he and other Democrats also would introduce a surtax to pay for the war in Iraq, although he acknowledged he did not expect the House Democratic leadership to support a tax hike plan.

“As chairman of the appropriations committee, I have no intention of reporting out of committee any time in this session of Congress any such (war funding) request that simply serves to continue the status quo,” Obey told reporters.

Only about 25 percent of Americans support the administration’s $190 billion war funding request, while about 70 percent want the proposed allocation reduced, a Washington Post-ABC News poll published on Tuesday said.

Obey said he would be more willing to consider the money request if it would also “establish as a goal the end of U.S. involvement in combat operations by January of 2009.” That is when the next U.S. president would succeed Bush, who is not allowed to run for a third, four-year term.

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/02/4271/