Who support the troops? Not the Republicans

GOP opposes bill regulating combat tours By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer 53 minutes ago Democratic legislation to regulate troops' combat tours in Iraq ran into stiff resistance in the Senate Wednesday from Republicans who said the military, not Congress, should manage deployments. The proposal by Sen. Jim Webb, a former Navy secretary and Vietnam veteran, would require that troops be allowed as much time at home as they spend deployed. Currently, Army soldiers spend about 15 months in combat and 12 months home. One of several Democratic proposals intended to challenge President Bush on the Iraq war, Webb's bill was seen as having the best shot at achieving the 60 votes needed to advance. The bill attracted three dozen co-sponsors, including Republicans Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Gordon Smith of Oregon. "You cannot continue to load on to 1 percent of our society all the burdens, all the sacrifices as we are doing. It's wrong," Hagel told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference. But other Republicans said the bill would micromanage the military and potentially force a withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee and a Vietnam veteran, called the Webb bill a "backdoor method" of forcing troop withdrawals from Iraq, which could spark chaos and genocide in the region. "And we will be back," said McCain, R-Ariz. Republican leaders were expected to offer an alternative that would state the U.S. goal of keeping troops home longer, but not restrict deployments. The nonbinding alternative would likely peel off GOP support and dim the prospects of Webb's bill. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said he would oppose Webb's proposal, after voting for it last July along with 55 other senators, because of recent discussions with senior military officials. Warner said the officers told him they want to increase rest between combat tours but that it couldn't happen as soon as Webb's legislation would require without causing major problems. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he would recommend that President Bush veto Webb's legislation if it is passed. The bill could force the military to extend tours, rely more heavily on reservists, or not replace units right away, even if they are needed, Gates said. Webb, D-Va., and his supporters say the bill provides flexibility to avoid those pitfalls, including a presidential waiver if Bush can certify to Congress that ignoring the limitation was necessary to national security. Webb amended the bill, after consultation with Gates, to exempt special operations forces and give the military 120 days to comply.