Troop ‘redeployment’ sought by Democrats

Democrats said yesterday that the United States must start “redeploying” troops from Iraq, calling the recovery of the mutilated bodies of two U.S. soldiers a “grim reminder” of why withdrawal should begin soon.

Republican leaders called the proposal for withdrawal a “cut and run” that would embolden terrorists.

The Senate is expected to spend at least five hours today debating two competing Democratic proposals to start pulling U.S. combat troops out of Iraq.

The killings are “a grim reminder of the price we’re paying for a failed policy in Iraq,” said Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip. “It’s time for Iraqis to stand up. When will this end?”

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said withdrawing troops would be a “dishonor of historic proportions.”

“The Iraqi people want us and need us to help them. If we break our promise and cut and run, as some would have us do, the implications could be catastrophic,” the Tennessee Republican said. “Surrendering is not a solution. We cannot go wobbly. The price is too high.”

Last night, in a speech at the Hyatt Regency Washington to Republican volunteers, Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman said, “Republicans unite on the need to stay on the offense to confront terrorists; Democrats are having a debate in their party.”

He characterized the Democratic debate as some “say we need to cut and run; some people say we need to walk … and other people say we need to jog.”

The comments come as lawmakers embark on a second week of debating Iraq policy, this time in the form of the Senate’s defense authorization bill.

Sen. Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat and ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Jack Reed, Rhode Island Democrat, have sponsored an amendment that calls for “phased redeployment” to begin by Dec. 31. The nonbinding amendment would require the Bush administration to submit a schedule for continued troop withdrawal.

Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin have a binding amendment calling for all combat troops to be redeployed by July 1, 2007. A similar measure offered last week was overwhelmingly defeated in the Senate.

Mr. Kerry and Mr. Feingold — potential presidential candidates in 2008 — sent a joint e-mail to Mr. Kerry’s 2004 campaign supporters saying that withdrawal will lead to a more effective war on terror.

“Our troops have served valiantly in Iraq,” the senators said. “Now, it’s time to put the future of Iraq where it belongs: in the hands of the Iraqi people and their leaders.”

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats agree that there “should be a redeployment starting sooner rather than later,” and downplayed the difference between the Levin and Kerry amendments.

“Even though we have at least two positions, I think if you look at them closely, they are both basically the same: that there should be redeployment of troops. It’s a question of when,” the Nevada Democrat said.

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