Washington – President Bush vetoed legislation this afternoon to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq in a showdown with Congress over whether the unpopular and costly war should end or escalate.
In only the second veto of his presidency, Bush rejected legislation that would require the first U.S. combat troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by Oct. 1 with a goal of a complete pullout six months later.
“This is a prescription for chaos and confusion, and we must not impose it on our troops,” Bush said in a nationally broadcast statement from the White House.
He said the bill would “mandate a rigid and artificial deadline” for troop pullouts, and “it makes no sense to tell the enemy when you plan to start withdrawing.”
He vetoed the bill immediately upon his return to the White House from a visit to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, including Iraq.
Democrats made a last-minute plea for Bush to sign the bill, knowing their request would be ignored.
“The president has put our troops in the middle of a civil war,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “Reality on the ground proves what we all know: A change of course is needed.”
Lacking the votes to override the president, Democratic leaders quietly considered what might be included or kept out of their next version of the $124 billion spending bill.
It was a day of high political drama, falling on the fourth anniversary of Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech and his declaration that major combat operations in Iraq had ended.
Democrats held an unusual signing ceremony of their own before sending the bill to the White House.
“This legislation respects the wishes of the American people to end the Iraq war,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
Bush signed the veto with a pen given to him by Robert Derga, the father of Marine Corps Reserve Cpl. Dustin Derga, who was killed in Iraq on May 8, 2005. The elder Derga spoke with Bush two weeks ago at a meeting the president had with military families at the White House and asked Bush to promise to use the pen in his veto.
Minutes after Bush vetoed the bill, an anti-war demonstrator stood outside the White House with a bullhorn: “How many more must die? How many more must die?”
One option Congress is considering for follow-up legislation would demand the Iraqi government meet certain benchmarks or face the withdrawal of U.S. troops. To avoid another veto, such a bill would have to allow Bush to waive the restriction.
Bush plans meet with congressional leaders from both parties on Wednesday, including Reid, D-Nev., and Pelosi, D-Calif. Past meetings have not led to any compromises, although members said that this time they were hopeful Bush would signal a willingness to negotiate.
Until then, Democratic leaders were careful not to get ahead of the script.
“I don’t want to get into a negotiation with myself,” Reid said when asked about conversations with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
McConnell and other Republicans have said they would agree to provisions that lay out standards for the Iraqi government to meet in creating a more stable and democratic society.
“A number of Republicans think that some kind of benchmarks properly crafted would be helpful,” McConnell said.
