Bush vetoes Iraq spending bill over timelines

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May 1: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised to keep fighting for legislation to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq.

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Reid contended that Bush had rejected a measure that would “fully fund the troops” and asserted, “Now he has a responsibility to explain his plan to responsibly end this war.”

The leading Democratic contenders for president also weighed in, calling on Bush to accept the need for a troop withdrawal.

“With one stroke of his pen, President Bush has stubbornly ignored the will of the American people, the majority of Congress and, most disturbingly, the realities on the ground in Iraq,” said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

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Noting that the bill also included $35 million for new homeland security initiatives, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., called on Bush to “stop disregarding the will of the American people and to work with Democrats on a funding bill that will enable us to begin redeploying our troops.”

Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., put pressure on congressional Republicans to stand up to Bush, challenging them to “stand firm and strong.”

“Congress should answer the president’s veto by sending him another bill with a timetable for withdrawal. And if he vetoes that one, Congress should send him another and another until we end this war and bring our troops home,” he said.

4th anniversary of ‘Mission Accomplished’
Bush has vetoed legislation only once before in nearly 6½ years in office. Last July, he killed a bill that would have loosened restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.

Coincidentally or not, the new showdown comes on the fourth anniversary of Bush’s so-called Mission Accomplished speech aboard an aircraft carrier.

“It is a trumped-up political stunt that is the height of cynicism,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. “It is very disturbing to think that they possibly held up this money for the troops and troops’ families and the resources that they need to try some PR stunt on this day.”

Pelosi denied that the timing was intentional. She told reporters that she was attending the funeral of Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., on Monday and was unavailable to sign the submission until Tuesday.