Leading House Democrat urges withdrawal from Iraq
17 Nov 2005 15:51:02 GMTSource: Reuters
WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - A leading pro-defense Democrat in the House of Representatives on Thursday urged the Bush administration to start the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
"The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home," said Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a senior Democrat on the subcommittee that oversees military spending.
Murtha's remarks followed attacks from the Bush administration on critics of its Iraq war policy and its handling of intelligence that led to the war.
Murtha urged the administration to "immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces."
He also called for creation of a "quick reaction force" in the region, keeping some presence of Marines, and to diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq.
"We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region," said Murtha, a leading Democratic spokesman on defense issues.
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Murtha bio:http://tinyurl.com/d7v5y
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