Senator Bond rejects Congressman Skelton’s proposal that the president quit threatening to veto a bill funding the Iraqi War, because it contains a deadline for troop withdrawal.

Skelton, a Democrat from West-Central Missouri, is chairman of the US House Armed Services Committee. During a visit to Westminster College in Fulton, Skelton suggested that President Bush should quit threatening to veto the Iraq war funding bill and, instead, sit down with Congressional leaders to negotiate a compromise. President Bush, a Republican, is at odds with Democrats in control of Congress over a provision in the bill that sets a deadline for troops to withdraw from Iraq.

Senator Bond, a Republican, says he doesn’t understand what Skelton means. Bond contends that setting a date to withdraw in statute is micro-managing the war from Washington. He says it undercuts the military strategy of United States generals in the field.  Bond doesn’t see anything to negotiate between the Administration and Congressional Democrats. Bond adds that if Democrats don’t like the war, they have avenues available to them other than setting deadlines for troop withdrawal. Bond says they can cut funding if they don’t like the war.

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