Leading democratic hawk presses for US Iraq pullout

John Murtha calls for the withdrawal of US military personnel from Iraq while at a news conference on Capitol Hill. Picture / Reuters

WASHINGTON - A Democratic congressional leader on defence called for an immediate withdrawal of United States (US) troops from Iraq, as he rejected Bush administration attacks on war critics and raised bipartisan pressure for a new policy.


"The US cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home," said Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania, the senior Democrat on the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees defence spending and one of his party's top voices on military issues.


Murtha's remarks followed a string of sharp attacks by President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney against critics of their Iraq-war policy and handling of prewar intelligence.


Murtha, a defence hawk, decorated Vietnam War veteran and retired Marine colonel, responded with a reference to the draft deferments that kept Cheney out of Vietnam.


"I like guys who got five deferments and (have) never been there and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done," Murtha said.


His call came two days after the Republican-controlled Senate overwhelmingly backed a resolution asking the administration for a plan to end the war, but rejected a Democratic resolution demanding a timetable from Bush.


Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada accused the White House of "a weak, spineless display of politics at a time of war" with its campaign against war critics.


Massachusetts Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy said Bush's "pure, unadulterated fear-mongering" led the country into war.


Murtha, who supported the Iraq war but criticized Bush's handling of it, urged the administration to pull out US troops as soon as it could be done safely. He estimated that would take about six months.


Republicans lashed out against the lawmaker who has served in Congress since 1974 and been a trusted defence adviser to presidents of both parties.


House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said Murtha and other critics "want us to wave the white flag of surrender to the terrorists of the world ... We must not cower like European nations who are now fighting terrorists on their soil." Representative Geoff Davis, a Kentucky Republican, said Democratic leaders have "co-operated with our enemies and are emboldening our enemies."


Murtha said he would introduce a resolution calling for the return of US forces in Iraq "at the earliest practicable date." He called the war "a flawed policy wrapped in illusion."


A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll this week said 63 per cent of Americans oppose Bush's handling of the Iraq war, and 52 per cent say troops should be pulled out now or within 12 months.


A handful of Democrats who opposed the war from the start have called for a quick withdrawal or a set timetable. Most want the administration to provide a withdrawal plan based on conditions on the ground.


"The American public is way ahead of the members of Congress," Murtha said.


House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California, a war opponent, called Murtha's statement a thought-provoking "watershed event," but stopped short of endorsing it.


Representative Ike Skelton of Missouri, top Armed Services Committee Democrat, said US troop reductions should be linked to increases in Iraqi military readiness.


The administration has vehemently opposed any withdrawal timetables, which it calls a "cut and run" strategy. It is trying to build up Iraq's military so that US troops can eventually leave.


But a number of Republicans were increasingly anxious about prospects in Iraq.


"We've got what I think is six months for this thing to begin to shape up ... to avoid a civil war," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner of Virginia.


There are 153,000 US troops in Iraq, up from the usual 138,000 to tighten security for elections in October and December. Another 22,000 troops from US allies are also serving in Iraq.


Murtha said a "quick reaction force" should be kept to deal with emergencies in the region, but not with a possible civil war in Iraq.


- REUTERS