Warner: pullout of Bush's Iraq quagmire

August 23, 2007

Washington, DC - John Warner, one of the Senate's most influential Republicans, is calling on President Bush to start bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq by Christmas.

John Warner, one of the Senate's most influential Republicans, is calling on President Bush to start bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq by Christmas.

Warner told reporters Thursday that a pullout is needed to spur Iraqi leaders to action and said he has recommended that Bush announce the beginning of a U.S. withdrawal in mid-September, after a report from the top U.S. officials in Iraq.

Warner met at the White House on Thursday with Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, the White House official responsible for coordinating Iraq issues.

He said the president and other leading Bush administration officials have repeatedly said the American commitment to Iraq was not open-ended, and "The time has come to put some meaningful teeth into those comments -- to back them up with some clear, decisive action."