WASHINGTON -- The White House threatened yesterday to veto a proposed House bill that would pay for the Iraq war only through July -- a limit that Defense Secretary Robert Gates said would be disastrous.
The warnings came as Gates also told reporters that his evaluation of force levels in Iraq in September will not lead to a rapid troop withdrawal, and that at least some US forces are likely to be in Iraq for a protracted period of time.
He said he didn't know whether it will take 25,000 troops or another number, but it would probably include intelligence officers, logistical support, and air power, and they would be needed to maintain stability in the war-wracked country.
"The evaluation in September will not lead to a precipitous decision or actions, but would point us in a new direction . . . either because the surge is working, or because the evaluation is that it's not," said Gates. Earlier yesterday he told senators he would consider reducing US troop levels in Iraq in the fall if the Iraqi government begins to make progress.
The developments occurred as officials disclosed that 11 moderate House Republicans had met unannounced with the president and top aides at the White House on Tuesday. Several participants described a remarkably blunt discussion in which lawmakers told the president the war was unsustainable without public support and was having a corrosive effect on GOP political fortunes.
Representative Charles Dent of Pennsylvania said he told the president that many of his constituents are "impatient, and in some cases have a sense of futility" about the war.
Representative Tom Davis of Virginia said he presented recent polling data from his suburban Washington district showing Bush's unfavorability ratings exceeded his approval ratings.
"We asked them what's Plan B. We let them know that the status quo is not acceptable," he said. Davis said the president responded that if he began discussing a new strategy, the current one would never have a chance to succeed.
Defiant Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, wrestled with how to support the troops but still challenge President Bush on the war. Bush has requested more than $90 billion to sustain the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through September.
"With this latest veto threat, the president has once again chosen confrontation over cooperation," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
House Democratic leaders are pushing legislation that would provide the military $42.8 billion to keep operations going through July, buy new equipment, and train Iraqi and Afghan security forces. Congress would decide shortly before its August recess whether to release an additional $52.8 billion to fund the war through September.
