Democrats Confident Iraq Plan Will Pass

A soldier of the 6-9 squadron, 3rd brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, searches a suspect just outside Muqdadiyah, Iraq, 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, Monday, March 12, 2007. (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic) (Dusan Vranic - AP)

WASHINGTON -- House Democratic leaders hunted for votes Tuesday for a war spending bill that would demand troops leave Iraq before September 2008 and expressed optimism that they would garner the support needed for passage.

The bill, a direct challenge to President Bush's war policies, remained on schedule for an initial test vote Thursday in the House Appropriations Committee and was expected to reach the floor next week.

"We're going to be whipping and counting votes, and I think we're going to get the votes," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

But whether Democrats had the votes they needed remained unclear. Some of the party's more liberal members said they were unsure whether the bill _ distributed late last night _ went far enough to end the war, while moderates said they were concerned it went too far and might hamstring the president.

In a bid to broaden the bill's appeal among members, Hoyer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have stripped from the legislation a requirement that Bush gain approval from Congress before any move against Iran.

Leaders also omitted language wanted by several liberal members that would have specifically prohibited funding of military operations after fall 2008. While the liberals said this threat would help enforce the deadline, Democratic leaders viewed the politically charged language as unnecessary.

The measure provides nearly $100 billion to pay for two wars and includes more money than Bush had requested for operations in Afghanistan and what Democrats called training and equipment shortages. Still, House Republicans said they wouldn't support it and the White House threatened a veto.

"Republicans will continue to stand united in this debate, and will oppose efforts by Democrats to undermine the ability of General (David) Petraeus and our troops to achieve victory in the Global War on Terror," Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement.

Vice President Dick Cheney criticized supporters of the bill's withdrawal provisions, declaring in a speech Monday that they "are telling the enemy simply to watch the clock and wait us out."

Pelosi issued a written statement that said the vice president's remarks prove that "the administration's answer to continuing violence in Iraq is more troops and more treasure from the American people."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a statement that America was less safe today because of the war. The president "must change course, and it's time for the Senate to demand he do it," he added.

The Iran-related proposal stemmed from a desire to make sure Bush did not launch an attack without going to Congress for approval, but drew opposition from numerous members of the rank and file in a series of closed-door sessions last week.