Congress passes Iraq deadlines

Both houses of the U.S. Congress passed bills setting deadlines for withdrawals from Iraq. The Senate passed an appropriations bill on Thursday in a 51-47 vote, mostly along Democratic-Republican party lines. The House of Representatives had passed a similar measure, also narrowly, last week. The bills fund troops in Iraq, but set 2008 deadlines for a pullout. President Bush says he will veto the bills. The Reform and Reconstructionist movements have endorsed such deadlines. “As we approach the fourth year of United States’ involvement in Iraq, and with no exit strategy proposed by the administration, it is imperative that a plan be established to ensure that Iraqis take responsibility for their future,” Rabbi David Saperstein, who directs Reform’s Religion Action Center, wrote in a letter to senators before the vote.