West-Central Missouri Congressman Ike Skelton says the president should sit down and negotiate with Congress about the funding of the war in Iraq and the timetable for troop withdrawal, rather than threaten a veto.

Skelton, the Democrat who chairs the United States House Armed Services Committee, says President Bush has done little good by threatening to veto legislation that funds the Iraq War and sets a deadline for withdrawal of troops. Skelton says the president should negotiate with Congress, rather than use the news media to issues veto threats. Skelton notes that there are differences between the House and Senate versions that must be reconciled and he says the White House should take advantage of the negotiating sessions to strike a deal.

Skelton says he voted for the resolution so the troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq would get the funding they need. He does support a withdrawal deadline, saying American troops won’t be there forever and the Iraqis must be weaned off American military might.

Skelton also says multiple deployments to Iraq have taken a toll on our troops. He says it’s clear that the stress of continuous operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is "rupturing" the Army and has put the Marine Corps under great strain.

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