[NYTr] Brawling in the US over Iraq Retreat

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com

US Brawling over Iraq Retreat

Washington, Sep 15 (Prensa Latina) Progressive withdrawal from Iraq as
President George W. Bush proposes has been kicking up quite a storm
both in Congress and military circles.

US troops in Iraq currently include 20 combat brigades with some
165,000 men and Bush and General David Petreaus, commander of the US
troops in Iraq, call for a discreet withdrawal of some 6,000 before
2008, and 21,500 would follow by the summer of 2008.

The proposal would barely cut down troops to the level of January 2006
before Bush ordered to send in additional troops to appease Baghdad and
Anbar Province.

However the Los Angeles Times says the proposal exposes divergence
between the Administration, Congress and the Department of Defense,
whose Secretary Robert Gates favors a more dramatic cut to half its
current size.

Meanwhile Senate Chairman Harry Reid, along with legislators Carl
Levin, (D.-MI), and Jack Reed (D.- RI) are working on a project to
attract Republicans unhappy with White House plans , says CNN Network.

The Senate will discuss the defense budget next week and anti-Bush
ranks need at least 60 votes to advance their withdrawal program and 67
to beat the expected executive veto.

Although the US has lost near 4,000 men by hostile and friendly fire
since May 2003 and Bush insists on presenting an improved situation in
Iraq, the divergent approach by the military and Congress prove
otherwise.

La Opinion daily calls the Republican government tactic an attempt to
pass on the chaos to the next president and save his image and battered
Republican support for the next elections.

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