Democrats to push for Iraq withdrawal

Washington: Democrats say they will begin withdrawing American troops from Iraq within the next few months.

Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, is expected to be chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in the new Congress that convenes in January. He said the Iraqi government must be told that US presence in the country is "not open-ended."

"We need to begin a phased redeployment of forces from Iraq in four to six months," Levin told reporters.

President George W. Bush has insisted that US troops would not leave until Iraqis can take over security, and has repeatedly rejected setting a timetable for withdrawal.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada told reporters, "We need to redeploy, " adding that the decision should be made by military officers in Iraq. He said, "And I think it should start within the next few months."

But Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican considering another run for president, said setting a date for withdrawal "will lead to chaos in the region" and that more troops might be required for stability.

He told reporters, "I believe that there are a lot of things that we can do to salvage this but they all require the presence of additional troops."