Withdrawal bill passes House; Bush says veto

"A deeply divided House of Representatives voted Friday to bring most American combat troops home from Iraq next year.
. . . The legislation aimed at accelerating an end to the war passed on a vote of 218 to 212, with all but two Republicans opposing. . . . Mr. Bush dismissed the action as 'political theater' and promised to veto attempts to manage the war from Capitol Hill.
. . . A two-thirds vote of each house of Congress would be required to override the presidential veto that Mr. Bush has threatened, and Democrats have conceded that they could not meet that target.
. . . Several lawmakers derided the total of nearly $24 billion in domestic spending — benefiting spinach growers and shrimp fishermen and peanut storage, among others — that Democrats put into the bill to make it more palatable to its members.
. . . But Democrats disagreed, saying they were simply financing projects that Republicans failed to address when they were in control of Congress. And they pointed to the money devoted to caring for troops when they return from Iraq."

source
Zeleny, Jeff. (The New York Times). House, 218 to 212, Votes to Set Date for Iraq Pullout. March 24, 2007.

posted: monday, march 26, 2007, 8:27 PM ET

tags: iraq congress