President Boxer

San Francisco Rep. Nancy Pelosi, leader of the House's minority Democrats, raised the stakes on the debate over the war in Iraq on Tuesday by introducing a resolution that if enacted would set the stage for the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.

Pelosi's proposal, which she offered as an amendment to the $428 billion military appropriations bill, would direct that within 30 days of the legislation's adoption, President Bush "report on a strategy for success in Iraq.'' The House is expected to take up the bill Thursday.

The report required by Pelosi's proposal would cover the capabilities of Iraqi military forces, their numbers, how prepared they are to take over from Americans, how many U.S. forces would have to stay in Iraq to help them, and what political progress is being made in the country.

"This lays the groundwork for bringing our troops home and doing it in a realistic way about what the consequences are for bringing those troops home, '' Pelosi said in an interview Tuesday.

On the Senate side, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said Tuesday night that she will co-sponsor a similar resolution in the Senate introduced by Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis.

The House has already voted down resolutions offered by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, and others that would direct Bush to start planning the withdrawal of the approximately 140,000 U.S. forces in Iraq. But Pelosi's proposal represents an intermediate step and by virtue of her leadership role raises the issue's profile in Washington.

Her proposal comes as new polls show the American public voicing increased dissatisfaction with the course of the two-year-old war in Iraq, which has claimed at least 1,706 American military lives. The latest Gallup poll found that 59 percent of those surveyed said some or all U.S. forces should be withdrawn. That's a 10-point increase from a February poll.

"From the start, I've thought this war was a grotesque mistake,'' said Pelosi, who voted against the autumn 2002 resolution authorizing Bush to launch military operations against Saddam Hussein's regime. "The question now is about the execution of the war. It's hard for anyone to argue that the war meets the standard of a strategy for success.''

Democrats won't know until today if the Republican-controlled House Rules Committee will allow Pelosi's amendment to reach the floor. But even if the proposal is barred, Pelosi plans to force a vote on it as part of the floor debate on the rules for handling the defense spending bill.

"It's time for the House to go on record about this,'' she said.

Boxer said she doesn't believe White House assurances of progress in Iraq. "It is time that the administration is forced to step up to the plate with a plan for Iraq. It is time that we know what our mission is and how we will accomplish it,'' Boxer said.

The White House and the Pentagon continue to resist any proposal that could lead to spelling out a timetable for withdrawal.

# posted by Scaramouche @ 1:30 AM