Learn Mandarin online - Pentagon prepares 35,000 troops for Iraq

WORLD / America

Pentagon prepares 35,000 troops for Iraq

(AP)
Updated: 2007-05-09 08:41

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon on Tuesday alerted more than 35,000 Army
soldiers that they could be sent to Iraq this fall. In Congress, House
Democrats defiantly pushed a plan to limit war funding to two-month
installments.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates left is briefed by Lt. Col. William
Boyett as he prepares to observe soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team
101st Airborne, Golf Company as they train at the Joint Readiness
Training Center in Fort Polk, La. Friday, May 4, 2007. [AP]

The deployment orders signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates would
allow commanders to maintain the buildup of troops through the end of the
year if needed. President Bush has ordered nearly 30,000 additional
troops to Iraq to quell a spike in violence, particularly in and around
Baghdad. There are currently about 146,000 US troops in Iraq.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the orders do not mean the military
has decided to maintain the increased force levels through December. The
Pentagon "has been very clear that a decision about the duration of the
surge will depend on conditions on the ground," he said.

The announcement comes as Bush is under increasing pressure to pull
troops out of Iraq. Bush last week vetoed $124.2 billion legislation that
would have funded the war while requiring troops to start coming home
this fall. According to a CNN-Opinion Research Corp. poll released
Tuesday, just over half of Americans disapproved of the veto.

House Democratic leaders briefed party members Tuesday on new legislation
that would fund the Iraq war through July, then give Congress the option
of cutting off money after that if conditions do not improve. Bush
requested more than $90 billion to fund the war through September.

The proposal is aimed at appeasing Democratic lawmakers who want to end
the war immediately and are urging leaders not to back down after Bush's
veto last week. But lacking a firm endorsement by the Senate, the
challenge by House Democrats seemed more for political show than a
preview of another veto showdown with Bush.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., told reporters before meeting
with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that "nothing's been ruled out and
nothing's been ruled in" as he would continue to try to work with the
White House.

House Democratic leaders struck a more defiant tone.

"I didn't commit to any compromise" with the White House, said Pelosi,
D-Calif.

Asked whether Democrats were still talking with the White House, Rep.
Rahm Emanuel , D-Ill., said, "They know what we're doing obviously. I
don't think their subscriptions to the newspapers ended at any time
recently."

Democratic leadership aides said Reid and Pelosi acknowledged in their
meeting Tuesday that the House plan would be considerably more difficult
to pass in the Senate, where 60 votes are often required and that the two
chambers may have to pursue different tracks.

Earlier in the day, Bush met with more than a dozen Democrats, most of
whom with fairly conservative voting records.

"They (the White House) seemed to be concerned about their relationship
with a number of us, and I think they should be," said Rep. Bud Cramer,
D-Ala., one of the members who attended. "It's perplexing why we couldn't
have had a couple of these meetings earlier."

The House bill would provide $30 billion to pay for military operations
through July as well as some $10 billion for other high-priority
projects, including training security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan,
military base closings, defense health, pandemic flu protection and
hurricane relief efforts.

Under the proposal, Bush would have to update Congress by July 13 on
whether the Iraqi government was meeting certain political and security
reforms. Congress would decide 10 days later whether to end the war and
bring troops home or provide funding through September.

The House would vote separately this month on a bill providing about $3.5
billion in agricultural assistance and about $1 billion for rural
schools, wildfire relief and aid to salmon farmers.

"We're trying to prepare a second option so that if the administration
wants to continue to just hold its breath and turn blue until they get
their money, we're going to have another alternative," said Rep. David
Obey , D-Wis., who planned to brief White House chief of staff Josh
Bolten on Tuesday.

White House spokesman Tony Snow called the approach "just bad management."

"We think it is appropriate to be able to give commanders what they are
going to need, and also forces in the field, so that you can make
long-term decisions in trying to build the mission," Snow said.

Congressional Republicans also dismissed the Democratic proposal as
unfairly rationing funds needed in combat and said their members would
not support it.

Democrats "should not treat our men and women in uniform like they are
children who are getting a monthly allowance," said Rep. John Boehner ,
R-Ohio, his party's leader.

Gates and his military leaders have said that commanders in Iraq will
make recommendations in September on whether the buildup has been
successful and whether it should continue or if troops can begin coming
home.

Snow and other administration officials have tried to tamp down
expectations of the September review, although several senior Republicans
say it will prove critical to whether the GOP continues to support the
war.

Sen. Olympia Snowe , R-Maine, introduced legislation Tuesday that would
require the Iraqi government to meet certain benchmarks within four
months. If Baghdad fails, military commanders would begin planning to
bring some troops home and refocusing remaining forces on noncombat
missions, such as training the Iraqi security forces. Snowe's bill,
co-sponsored by Sen. Evan Bayh , D-Ind., sets a nonbinding goal of ending
combat six months later.

Top World News 

� Pentagon prepares 35,000 troops for Iraq

� 6 men charged in plot to attack Fort Dix

� Northern Ireland power sharing begins

� 6 charged with plot to attack N.J. base

� Car bomb kills 16 in Iraq city

Today's Top News 

� Japan 'should respect' neighbors' sentiments

� Team to join UN forces in Darfur

� Maglev extension given 'green light'

� Iran compromises on nuclear talks

� China stocks at new high, yuan breaks key barrier

Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours

Learn Chinese, Chinese School, Chinese Course, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet