Democrat Rep.: Troops need more rest By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer

Democrat Rep.: Troops need more rest By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer
32 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Democrats on Saturday touted legislation to guarantee troops time at home between deployments to Iraq. In the party's weekly radio address, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., criticized President Bush for threatening to veto the bill, contending his administration's policies on troop deployments have weakened the military.

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"The president's surge has sent many of our Army units to Iraq for the second and third time. We are asking our troops to make heroic sacrifices — yet as soon as they return we rush them back into battle," said Tauscher, author of the bill that passed the House Aug. 2 on a vote of 229-194.

The measure would require that regular military units returning from the war receive at least as much time at home as they spent in Iraq. Reserve units would get a home stay three times as long as they spent in the war zone.

Under the Pentagon's current policy, active-duty troops typically serve deployments of up to 15 months, with a year at home in between. National Guard and Reserve ground units generally can be called up for as long as two years, to be followed by six years at home.

Bush's war adviser, Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, said Friday the Pentagon needs to reevaluate deployment lengths.

"Come the spring, some variables will have to change — either the degree to which the American ground forces, the Marines and the Army in particular, are deployed around the world to include Iraq, or the length of time they're deployed in one tour, or the length of time they enjoy at home," Lute said in an interview on National Public Radio.

Bush complained that Tauscher's bill would put arbitrary constraints on Pentagon commanders. But Tauscher noted that the measure includes waivers enabling the president to disregard the required intervals between troop deployments in the interest of national security.

"If we are honest about wanting to support our troops, there is no better place to start than with the rest and training they require to complete their mission and return home safely," said Tauscher.

In the Senate, similar legislation by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., won a majority vote of 56-41 in July but fell four short of the 60 votes needed to advance.

The vote on Tauscher's bill shortly before Congress left Washington for its August recess was the latest challenge to Bush from Democrats aiming to end an unpopular war. Democratic leaders plan to renew the challenge in September, when Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, delivers a long-awaited report on the state of the conflict.

The president vetoed legislation this spring that included a timeline for a troop withdrawal.

Petraeus told lawmakers visiting Iraq this month that a U.S. presence in Iraq is likely to be needed for another nine to 10 years, said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., who met with the general along with Democrat Tom Allen of Maine and four House Republicans. Petraeus has made similar remarks in the past, noting that the question is how many troops would be needed.

Schakowsky, a member of the Out of Iraq caucus, said she returned from the trip convinced more than ever the U.S. should set a deadline for troop withdrawals.

"Calling for patience, at this point, I don't believe is going to work with the American people," she told reporters in a conference call from Germany on Friday.