Portable Planet

Democrats meet later Monday to finish an Iraq funding bill that President Bush has promised to veto if it sets a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

Opposition Democrats meet first to reconcile differences in the versions of bills passed in the Senate and the House of Representatives to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The House measure sets a September, 2008, deadline for all U.S. combat troops to leave Iraq. The Senate version sets a nonbinding goal of having most troops leave by March of 2008.

President Bush has insisted upon funding free of deadlines and has urged Democrats to act quickly if they do set a deadline so that he can veto the bill.

Democrats control both houses of Congress, but do not have the super majorities required to override a veto.

Democrats say opinion polls clearly show a majority of Americans want the troops home, but the president says settinga deadline would only embolden the nation’s enemies.

Source: VOA