Polling Immediately before and after the 2003 invasion, most
polls within the United States showed a substantial majority supporting war, though since December 2004 polls consistently showed that a majority thought the invasion was a mistake. In the spring of 2007, surveys generally showed a majority in favor of setting a timetable for withdrawal. However, in this area responses can vary widely with the exact wording of the question. Surveys found that most preferred a gradual withdrawal over time to an immediate pullout.
2004 U.S. presidential election The issue was one on which
John Kerry and
George W. Bush differed in the 2004
U.S. presidential election. Kerry said in August 2004 that he would make the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq a goal of his first presidential term. However, he did not offer a deadline or a timetable, and proposed an increase in deployment size in the immediate future. In the debate, he said that he reiterated that withdrawal was a goal, if an initial troop increase works. In the debate, Bush did not offer any timetable or estimate of troops, either increasing or decreasing, but said only that the commanders of the troops in Iraq had the ability to ask for whatever force they needed. In general, this is consistent with his earlier remarks. When questioned about troop strength, Bush and then-
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said that they were using the troops asked for by the general staff.
Congressional proposals and acts On 17 November 2005 Representative
John Murtha (D-PA) introduced , a resolution calling for U.S. forces in Iraq to be "redeployed at the earliest practicable date" to stand as a quick-reaction force in U.S. bases in neighboring countries such as
Kuwait. In response,
Republicans proposed a resolution that "the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately," without any provision for redeployment, which was voted down 403–3. On 16 June 2006 the House voted 256–153 in a
non-binding resolution against establishing a deadline for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Republican then-
House Majority Leader John Boehner, who argued against a deadline, stated "achieving victory is our only option", and "we must not shy away". On the other hand,
Democratic then-
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi argued that a deadline is necessary, and stated stay the course' is not a strategy, it's a slogan", and "it's time to face the facts." On 27 March 2007
Congress passed H.R. 1591, which called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq by March 2008. However, President Bush vetoed the bill and the
House of Representatives failed to override the veto. Congress then passed
H.R. 2206, which provided funding for the Iraq War through 30 September 2007 and was signed into law by President Bush on 25 May 2007. H.R. 2206 included eighteen
benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet. On 9 May 2007 Representative
Jim McGovern introduced H.R. 2237 to the House, "To provide for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces and defense contractors from Iraq." The bill failed with a vote of 255 to 171, 13 of the Nays coming from Democrats representing districts won by John Kerry in 2004. On 12 July 2007 the House passed H.R. 2956 by a vote of 223–201, for redeployment (or withdrawal) of U.S. armed forces out of Iraq. The resolution requires most troops to withdraw from Iraq by 1 April 2008. On 18 July 2007, after an all-night debate, the Senate blocked the passage of a bill that would have set a troop withdrawal timetable with a vote of 52–47. The withdrawal would have started within 120 days, and would have required that all troops (except an unspecified number could be left behind to conduct a very narrow set of missions) be out of the country by 30 April 2008.
McGovern-Polk proposal George McGovern and
William R. Polk published a detailed proposal for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in their book
Out of Iraq: A Practical Plan for Withdrawal Now. A sizable excerpt was published in the October 2006 edition of Harper's magazine. This plan was completely abandoned. Some of the basic features of their proposal included: • The first soldiers to be sent home should be
private security contractors. • An international stabilization force of 15,000 soldiers to be established. Troops will be drawn from
Morocco, Tunisia, and
Egypt, funded by the U.S. This force would remain for two years after the departure of U.S. troops. • Transport, communications, and light arms equipment currently used by U.S. forces should be donated to the new multinational force. • In place of a new Iraqi army, a national reconstruction corps should be established, modeled on the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. • The immediate cessation of work on U.S. military bases. • U.S. withdrawal from the
Green Zone. • Release of all
prisoners of war.
ANSWER, NION, UFPJ positions The three largest coalitions which organized demonstrations against the invasion of Iraq in 2003,
United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ),
Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER), and
Not in Our Name (NION), have all called for the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops, "out now." The anti-war movement has debated whether to support existing proposals in Congress. The UFPJ legislative working group has endorsed Murtha's redeployment proposal "because it is a powerful vehicle to begin the debate on the war," though the organization as a whole has not taken a position. ANSWER, on the other hand, has stated that "Murtha has not adopted an antiwar position. He wants to redeploy militarily to strengthen the hand of U.S. imperialism in the Middle East."
Burner Plan The Burner Plan, formally entitled
A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, was a 36-page policy paper presented 17 March 2008 by
Darcy Burner and other 2008 Democratic congressional candidates, in cooperation with some retired national security officials. The plan outlined policy measures the candidates pledged to support in the
2008 United States presidential election. ==Formulation of Withdrawal Plans==