Bush again urges U.S. to be patient with war effort

As the war in Iraq enters its fifth year, President Bush called anew Monday for patience as beefed-up U.S. forces try to secure Baghdad. But the president faced increasing difficulty on Capitol Hill, where a proposal to set a timeline for withdrawing U.S. forces is gaining momentum.

Bush marked the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion with brief remarks at the White House, standing in front of flagpoles bearing ribbons commemorating famous American battles. The president emphasized that the latest effort to tamp down sectarian violence was in its early stages, but pointed to what he called hopeful signs and said the war “can be won” with resolve.

In the past, Bush has left little doubt that he believed the United States would prevail. Tony Snow, the White House press secretary, said the president’s more uncertain language Monday reflected questions about whether Congress would “provide the flexibility and funding necessary to succeed.”

Bush asked the now Democratic-led Congress to deliver more than $100 billion in war funds “without strings and without delay.” Snow said Bush would veto legislation that attached strict conditions on the funds or that required troop withdrawals.

Despite the veto threat, House Democrats pressed ahead with a plan to place a timeline on a funding bill that would require U.S. troops to withdraw no later than August 2008. On Monday, Democratic leaders who have been working to build support for the measure from members of their own caucus who favor a faster pullout picked up potentially crucial support from a leading antiwar group.

*

Plan has support

The influential liberal political group MoveOn.org announced its endorsement of the Democratic plan, citing 85% support among its members in an online survey conducted over the weekend.

“While this measure doesn’t go far enough, they know the choice is a war without end or a safe and responsible end to the war. This measure is an important step in the right direction,” said Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action.

At the same time, Tom Andrews, a former Democratic congressman who heads the national Win Without War coalition, also said a growing number of groups in the coalition were becoming receptive to the bill. “I think people want to keep the ball moving in the right direction,” Andrews said.

The Iraq war has lasted longer than any U.S. military engagement other than the Revolutionary War and the Vietnam War, and polls of Americans show dwindling public support. On Monday, two surveys of Iraqis indicated that they were tiring of the U.S. military presence and were deeply skeptical of America’s motives, although many believe life is better without Saddam Hussein, who was toppled days after the March 20, 2003, invasion and executed late last year.

Around Iraq, the war’s anniversary, like other days, was marked by sectarian violence. Police reported finding the bodies of 30 men, who had been shot, a trademark of Shiite Muslim militia execution squads. Eight worshipers at a Shiite mosque in Baghdad were killed and 32 were wounded in a bombing during noon prayers that bore the style of a Sunni Arab insurgent attack.

A series of explosions in the contested northern city of Kirkuk left 12 people dead and 43 injured. Roadside bombs killed three in Baghdad and wounded four just north of the capital.

In Washington, as well, the four-year mark was like so many other recent days. On one hand, the president issued an appeal for time for his recent troop “surge” to show results, and war opponents countered his pitch with comments like one from Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, who said, “Patience is not a strategy.”

Before Monday, the White House had played down the anniversary, saying several times last week that the president had no plans to mark the occasion. Snow said Bush decided over the weekend to make a public statement.

His remarks Monday were aimed at prodding Congress and seeking to stem the tide of popular opposition to the war two months after he unveiled his dispatch of additional troops -- 21,500 assigned to combat units and additional support troops -- in what has taken on the aura of an urgent effort to fend off defeat.

Congressional Democrats seeking to end the war face their own challenge as antiwar advocates pressure them for a quick withdrawal. The plan being pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) would mandate the pullout of nearly all U.S. combat forces by August 2008, and earlier if the Iraqi government fails to meet a series of benchmarks. Even with that timeline, some of the war’s harshest critics are backing the House Democratic plan.

“People want to see Congress step up and get us out of there,” said David Cortright, a University of Notre Dame professor who heads the antiwar Fourth Freedom Forum and helped found the Win Without War coalition. “But it seems to me that it is the kind of measure that people in the movement ought to be able to support.”

*

Rounding up votes

Over the last several weeks, Pelosi and other senior House Democrats have been furiously working to round up the 218 votes necessary to pass their plan when it comes up for a vote Thursday.

Though Democrats have 233 seats, there had been widespread unease about the historic plan, particularly among the staunchest war critics in the party.

Leading members of the congressional Out of Iraq Caucus, including several Californians, are calling for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of this year.

Further complicating Pelosi’s task, House Republicans have presented a nearly united front against the Democratic proposal, arguing, like the president, that imposing timelines ties the hands of the military and guarantees failure in Iraq.

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) -- a co-founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus -- reiterated her fierce opposition to any bill that does not expeditiously bring troops home. “This is a vote of conscience for me,” she said. “It’s not political.”

But there are increasing signs that the caucus’ most liberal members, to whom Pelosi remains very close, are lining up with the leadership.

In his remarks at the White House, Bush warned against efforts to withdraw the troops before Iraq is secure and stable.

“It can be tempting to look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude our best option is to pack up and go home,” Bush said. “That may be satisfying in the short run, but I believe the consequences for American security would be devastating.”

Bush said that U.S. and Iraqi forces were working to improve security in Baghdad. But in one of the two new polls of Iraqis, commissioned by media groups including ABC and USA Today, the number of respondents who felt life was “going well” had declined from 71% in November 2005 to 39% now. Only 18% said they had confidence in U.S. troops, and half said they thought violence against American forces was “acceptable.”

*

james.gerstenzang@latimes.com

noam.levey@latimes.com

Times staff writers Christian Berthelsen, Said Rifai, Saif Hameed, Zeena Kareem and Suhail Ahmad in Baghdad and special correspondents in Baghdad, Kirkuk and Basra contributed to this report.