Democrats new challenge to Bush over Iraq

Washington, Feb 19: Leading US Democrats today vowed on Sunday a push to revise President George W Bush's 2002 authorization to wage war in Iraq, as a way to raise pressure for a change in strategy.

Undeterred by Senate Republicans who blocked a resolution opposing Bush's troop buildup in Iraq, Democrats in control of Congress pledged to challenge Bush anew by seeking a mandate that the mission of US troops does not include interceding in a civil war.

''We'll be looking at modification of that (war) authorisation in order to limit the mission of American troops to a support mission instead of a combat mission,'' Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat told ''Fox News Sunday.'' With the safety of US troops already in Iraq at stake, Levin said there was little appetite in Congress to cut off funding for the unpopular war, which has raged amid an unrelenting insurgency and sectarian violence.

The war already dominates the 2008 White House race.

Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden said Congress should ''repeal and restate the president's authority'' to make clear that the US mission in Iraq is ''to protect against al Qaeda gaining chunks of territory, (and) training the Iraqi forces.'' Biden, a Delaware Democrat and presidential hopeful, spoke on CBS television's ''Face the Nation.'' Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, called the Iraq war ''the worst foreign policy mistake in the history of this country.'' ''We find ourselves in a very deep hole. We need to find a way to dig out of it,'' Reid told CNN.

Last week the House of Representatives passed a nonbinding resolution against Bush's plans to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq to enhance security in Baghdad and Anbar province. But Bush's fellow Republicans in the Senate used procedural tactics to block the measure on Saturday.

In October 2002, Congress authorized Bush to take military action in Iraq primarily because of what the administration charged was the threat of weapons of mass destruction.

No such weapons were ever found after the March 2003 invasion, but the administration said US troops would remain to help Iraq become a democracy.

White House spokesman Tony Snow echoed Bush's plea for US lawmakers to give the president's new plan, which includes more American troops as well as a greater involvement by Iraqi forces, a chance to succeed.

''What you need to do if you support the troops is to provide reinforcements for the people already on the ground to get the job done,'' Snow told NBC.

Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a potential presidential candidate who has broken with most fellow Republicans in opposing the troop buildup, told NBC's ''Meet the Press'' that he was open to considering a proposal by a Democratic war opponent that would attach strings to future funding.

''We need to have that debate,'' Hagel said of the proposal, by Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, to require that troops sent to Iraq be fully trained and equipped and to set time limits on combat assignments.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, accused Democrats of planning to buck public opinion and try to cut funding for US troops.

''It's very dangerous turf for them,'' McConnell told CNN.

Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, told NBC, ''Down the road, will we consider issues with respect to funding? I think so, but we'll never compromise the ability of American soldiers to protect themselves.''

Reuters

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