The New York Times
Friday 13 July 2007
Washington - Two leading Republican senators said today that President Bush should seek a new war authorization and present a plan to Congress by Oct. 16 outlining contingency plans in Iraq. Those plans, which would include reducing American forces, should begin by the end of the year.
Senators John W. Warner of Virginia and Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, both of whom have criticized the administration's troop buildup plan, introduced a measure expected to be considered next week when the Iraq war debate resumes. The senators said it was critical to move beyond the current clash between Congress and the White House and begin making plans to be implemented after the military releases its progress report in September.
"I continue to counsel the president and his administration to move now to construct a more sustainable policy in Iraq that reduces our troop commitments and transitions away from the missions of interposing ourselves between sectarian factions," Mr. Lugar said in a statement.
Mr. Lugar, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Mr. Warner, a former chairman of the Armed Services Committee, are viewed among Republicans as respected and reasoned voices on the war debate. They had both agreed to withhold judgment until the interim report on Iraq that was presented Thursday to Congress.
One of the main elements of their amendment, which was filed shortly after noon today, would require the president to seek a new rationale for the war authorization by the time Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top military commander in Iraq, delivers a report in September on the progress of the troop buildup. The measure also would require the president to review and update the National Intelligence Estimate for Iraq no later than Sept. 4.
"Many of the conditions and motivations that existed when we authorized force almost five years ago no longer exist or are irrelevant to our current situation," Mr. Lugar said. He went on, saying the 2002 war authorization is "obsolete and requires revision."
The proposal is one of a litany of plans offered by senators during a scheduled two-week debate over the Iraq war. But anticipation for the Warner-Lugar plan has quietly built all week, particularly among the Republicans who have called for a new course in Iraq. The senators said lawmakers from both parties have expressed an interest in endorsing the plan, although it remained an open question whether it went far enough for several Democratic critics.
"Senator Warner and I recognize that there is broad disagreement in Congress on what I have called the 'binary choice between surge and withdrawal,' " Mr. Lugar said. "Nevertheless, we also have sensed a palpable desire in this body to achieve greater bipartisanship."
The Senate was already scheduled to consider a variety of proposals next week, including one by Senators Robert Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democrat of New York, seeking to de-authorize the original war authorization. That proposal, though, is not favored by the Democratic leadership because several senators who voted against the 2002 authorization are reluctant to endorse a new one.
The Senate recessed for the weekend early Friday afternoon and is scheduled to resume the Iraq war debate on Monday.
The leading Democratic proposal under consideration, sponsored by Senators Carl Levin of Michigan and Jack Reed of Rhode Island, calls for combat troops to begin leaving Iraq within 120 days with a deadline of April 30 to withdraw most troops except for those needed for a limited mission. The legislation does not specify, however, how many troops would be required to leave.
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