Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards says Democrats in congress need to “hold their ground” and convince President Bush to start withdrawing troops from Iraq. “They should send him another funding bill with a timetable with withdrawal. If he vetoes that, they should send him another funding bill with a timetable for withdrawal and hold their ground because that course will force him to start withdrawing troops from Iraq,” Edwards says.
Rival Hillary Clinton said in Iowa on Sunday that the debate over war funding is a balancing act, and she might back a bill that would not include troop withdrawal guidelines if that is the deal Democratic negotiators strike with President Bush. Those negotiations started up this week after Bush’s veto last week of a bill that did include troop withdrawal demands.
Edwards says Democrats shouldn’t back down, and he questioned the decision by Democratic congressional leaders to open discussions with the White House. “I can’t tell you how strongly I feel about this,” Edwards says. “The last thing we should be doing is negotiating.” “…Elections have consequences. The American people put the Democrats in control in Congress because they wanted a different course in Iraq.” Edwards made his comments during an appearance on Iowa Public Radio.