House rejects quick withdrawal from Iraq

The House Thursday evening rejected a proposal by the House’s most liberal Democrats to withdraw rapidly from Iraq. But the sponsor of the measure, which was defeated 171-255, said he got more votes than he expected.

“This is proof the U.S. Congress is catching up to where the American people are,” said Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.). He also said the vote could give House negotiators like House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) more leverage as they negotiate a bill to send to the White House.

{mosads}“Mr. Obey goes into conference hopefully with the supplemental and the knowledge that 171 people voted to get out of Iraq. That has to count for something in conference,” McGovern said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) voted for the McGovern bill, while House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) voted against it. Two Republicans who had previously voted with Democrats against the war, Reps. Walter Jones (N.C.) and Wayne Gilchrest (Md.) voted against it.

“It was too strong,” Jones said after the vote. “I was 50-50 all the way.”

The measure would have called for a troop withdrawal from Iraq to begin three months after enactment. The withdrawal from Iraq would have been six months after that.

Rep. Jerry Lewis (Calif.), the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee, said the measure was an effort to appease the Democrats’ liberal Out of Iraq Caucus.

“How could this Congress walk away form our men and women in uniform?” Lewis said.

A spending bill that would give President Bush money for the war in two installments was scheduled to be voted on later Thursday night.