Bush signs war bill with no timetables

WASHINGTON — President Bush on Friday signed the controversial emergency spending bill for the Iraq war as antiwar activists assailed congressional Democrats for dropping their demands that the legislation include timetables for withdrawing U.S. troops.

Bush's action ended his first major fight with the new Congress over the war, but Democratic leaders vowed to continue their effort to force an end to the 4-year-old war.

"We are going to come back in other pieces of legislation

Democrats' decision to pull back on the timetable issue reflected political realities: With most Republicans continuing to support Bush on the war, Democrats do not have enough votes to impose deadlines over the president's objections. And, although they oppose the war, many Democrats are leery of doing anything that might be construed as not supporting the troops in the field -- such as holding back funding.

Democratic strategists are planning for the next battle.

The most immediate opportunity may be a defense authorization bill scheduled to come before the Senate at the end of June. Some Democratic strategists are considering attaching withdrawal timelines to it.

But the next major showdown may come in September, when Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, is due to report on the progress of Bush's U.S. troop buildup.

At that time, members of both parties will be more focused on their reelection campaigns, and the administration will need more money for the war.

"September is the moment of truth for this war," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said.

Although she voted against the almost-$120-billion spending measure, which included money for some nonmilitary items, Pelosi said it represented a "step in the direction of accountability that the Americans have demanded in the war in Iraq."

Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) acknowledged the mounting pressure for change. "I think that the handwriting is on the wall that we are going in a different direction in the fall, and I expect the president to lead it," he said at a Capitol news conference.

Antiwar activists were enraged that 86 Democrats in the House and 37 in the Senate voted for the bill and vowed to hold the lawmakers accountable. Some activists even talked about recruiting primary challengers.

"Voters elected them in November to end the war. That's the promise they made, and we expect them to deliver on it," said Eli Pariser of MoveOn.org.