U.S. President George W. Bush criticized Democrats on Saturday for proposing a war spending bill with a withdrawal date for U.S. troops from Iraq. “I recognize that Democrats are trying to show their current opposition to the war in Iraq,” Bush said in his weekly radio address from Crawford. “They see the emergency war spending bill as a chance to make that statement. Yet for our men and women in uniform, this emergency war spending bill is not a political statement, it is a source of critical funding that has a direct impact on their daily lives.” The Senate version of the war spending bill, which includes the president's request for 100 billion dollars, requires a U.S. troop exit in Iraq to begin within 120 days, with a completion goal of March 31, 2008. The House bill orders all combat troops out by Sept. 1, 2008. The Senate has been on a weeklong Easter vacation; the House is out of session for two weeks. “That means the soonest the House and Senate could get a bill to my desk will be sometime late this month, after the adverse consequences for our troops and their families have already begun,” Bush said. “For our troops, the clock is ticking.” Bush said his commanders believe the delay in funding undermines the troops in the field. If a bill is not finalized by mid-April, the Army will be forced to consider cutting back on training and equipment repair, Bush added. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service says the Army has enough bookkeeping flexibility to pay for operations in Iraq well into July.
