Dems Want to Keep GOP From Votes on Iraq

U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Mullen speaks during a media conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in this July 17, 2006 file photo. Mullen's confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled for Tuesday July 31, 2007. In written answers to prepared questions, Mullen told the committee that 'rigorous' debate preceded President Bush's decision on troop buildup. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File) (Andy Wong - AP)

Mullen said his goal is to have troops ordered to Iraq to spend one year there followed by two years at home, but he said the current strength of 160,000 troops would have to be cut in half for that to happen.

In April, the Army added three months _ for a total of 15 months _ to the standard yearlong tour for all active-duty soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the change would ensure that all active-duty Army units get at least 12 months at home between deployments.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the panel's chairman, urged Mullen to "use the power that lies in your hands to force those Iraqi politicians" to forge compromises.

Mullen said repeatedly said he wants to see an assessment due in September by Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, before determining what the next step should be.

Bush has said he, too, is awaiting the report before deciding what change in policy, if any, is needed.

So, too, Congress, which is expected to adjourn this week until early in September. Among Republicans, there is a scarcely concealed hope that the president will embark this fall on a new policy in a war that has resulted in the deaths of more than 3,650 U.S. troops.

About 40 GOP members of the House and Senate are sponsoring legislation intended to shift the mission of U.S. troops. Four Senate Republicans broke ranks recently and voted to advance a troop withdrawal measure to a final vote, and the overwhelming vote in the House Armed Services Committee underscored the extent of the concern among Republicans.

In large measure, conclusions reached by House Democratic leaders in recent days mirror an approach taken recently by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The Nevada Democrat abruptly postponed debate on a military bill recently after Republicans stymied a final vote on a troop withdrawal plan. The effect was to block action on at least two bipartisan plans that were designed to nudge Bush in a new direction but lacked a firm withdrawal deadline.

In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said there would be at least two votes later this week that challenge Bush's conduct of the global war on terror.

The first would force the administration to stop using the facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to hold enemy combatants.

The second would guarantee U.S. troops more time at home between deployments to Iraq than they now receive, a proposal she said makes it very difficult for the military to conduct operations it has planned in Iraq.

No vote is planned this week on a proposal by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., that calls for a withdrawal to begin within 60 days but lacks a completion date.

Murtha, one of Congress' most persistent critics of the war, unveiled his proposal several days ago and said he hoped it would draw support from Republicans who have supported Bush.

One official said that measure may resurface in September, when Congress must vote on additional funding for the war, but cautioned that it may change significantly by then.