Bush should shed 'tin ear'

2007-05-20 22:05

Washington - President George W Bush has turned a "tin ear" to intense criticism over Iraq and should compromise with Democrats on a new war funding bill, says House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

But Republicans said that a Democratic drive to include a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq in new funding for US troops amounted to "surrender".

Pelosi, the country's top Democrat, said in an ABC News interview broadcast on Sunday that a funding bill would be submitted to Bush by next weekend, when Congress breaks up for the Memorial Day holiday.

She said Democrats had forged a bipartisan consensus with Bush on issues like trade and immigration.

"But when it comes to the war in Iraq, the president has a tin ear. He just cannot hear, except that which he wants to hear on it," Pelosi said.

"One thing is for sure: By the time we leave here to honour our war veterans and those who have given their lives for our country on Memorial Day weekend, we will have legislation to fund the troops."

Veto

But Bush, after vetoing an initial $124bn spending bill, has vowed to reject afresh any bill to fund the US military presence in Iraq that contains pullout dates.

A meeting on Friday between Pelosi, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and Bush's chief of staff Joshua Bolten broke up in acrimony.

The top Democrats said they offered Bush the right to waive troop withdrawal timetables in the funding bill, and would rip out billions of dollars in domestic spending unrelated to Iraq.

But the White House said that any timelines, even if not enforced, would embolden US enemies.

The Senate's top Republican, Mitch McConnell, said Pelosi was ignoring the fact that the Democrats' bill would never get the 60 votes it needs in the 100-seat upper chamber to override a presidential veto.

"I do have the votes to uphold the veto. We need to stay away from a surrender date," he said on ABC.

"We know how to get there. It's to take out the surrender vote," he added.

"Any kind of reasonable benchmarks on the Iraqi government I think are going to have broad bipartisan support. That's clearly the way to get there."

'War without end'

Democrats are trying to find a way to curtail Bush's powers to fight "a war without end" and mollify their fiercely anti-war supporters, but still offer financial support needed by troops under fire in Iraq.

The speaker acknowledged that getting the Democratic measure through Congress would be "tough".

"But if the president says 'No accountability, I want a blank check with a war without end,' we'll have to oppose that."

- AFP