Webb: Bush should think twice before Iraq bill veto

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) said Wednesday President Bush should carefully consider whether he wants to veto legislation that would give troops more rest between deployments to war zones.

{mosads}“If I were the president of the United States and I had an expression of the Congress that basically said you can’t keep people in Iraq longer than you’re allowing them to be at home, I’d think twice before I vetoed that,” said Webb, the measure's sponsor, as he spoke on CNN.

The Webb amendment is the centerpiece this week of the efforts of Democratic leaders to change the course in Iraq. If Webb’s amendment picks up additional support from Republicans, it could clear the threshold of 60 votes that is needed to overcome a Republican filibuster.

However, Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), who supported the measure when it was last up for a vote, now says he might not do so this time around.

Webb said that he has been discussing the issue with his colleague but acknowledged that “he’s got a lot of pressure from the White House because of his former role” as chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

But Webb added that he does not think the issue should be contentious.

“The minimum we can do to these people who are out there, having to make these deployments, is to say that you're going to have as much time at home as you have in Iraq,” Webb said.

The White House has indicated that it would veto the bill, which some believe would force the Pentagon to change the number of troops in Iraq.