Editorial: No blank check for Iraq

Once again congressional Democrats are preparing to do everything in their power to begin winding down the Iraq war, which is drawing close to its fifth year.

This has been the deadliest year yet for American forces, with more than 850 troops killed so far. Since the war began in March 2003, more than 3,850 American troops have been killed and more than 27,000 have been wounded.

We agree with those in Congress who say the time has long passed when the Iraqi government should have assumed most of the responsibility for the security of its country.

Until American forces begin reducing their numbers and altering their missions, the Iraq government will not be motivated to act, and the war and the high casualties will drag on.

Despite the lack of a profound reason for remaining full force in Iraq, and despite the untold billions of dollars that have been and are being squandered there because of corruption, President Bush last month asked Congress for an additional $196 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan - most of it for Iraq.

The House this week finalized legislation approving an initial $50 billion. The funding carries a stipulation that some troop withdrawals from Iraq begin immediately.

After Bush vetoed a similar bill in May, Democrats found themselves without enough Republican support to override it. The same might happen again, but Democrats cannot be faulted for carrying out the will of the voters who put them in office.

The House bill, which might be voted on as early as today, would also require that soldiers and Marines spend as much time at their home bases as they do in combat. Bush never prepared the country for war in Iraq, resulting in an undermanned military having to push its existing troops to near exhaustion.

The bill would also ban the government from approving waterboarding and other "enhanced" interrogation techniques.

What measure of success this sensible bill experiences is up to congressional Republicans, whose support could take away Bush's veto power.

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