Instead, House leaders only allowed a vote on a Democratic-sponsored amendment designed to end the war more quickly by limiting funding to the "safe and orderly withdrawal" of U.S. troops.
Using historical returns and assuming a portfolio of 60% stocks and 40% bonds, he worked out three rules for determining a "safe" initial withdrawal rate and then adjusted for inflation annually.
In a press conference, members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Out of Iraq Caucus proposed legislation that would require Congress fully to fund the safe and secure withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by December 31, 2007.
In addition, the landmine treaty may not have the standard "supreme national interests" clause that provides a fail-safe mechanism by permitting withdrawal from international agreements in the event changed circumstances make them incompatible with those interests.
Bush argued against withdrawal, saying that a regional conflict and a safe haven for terrorists could develop out of the sectarian violence in Iraq if the country were to break down into chaos.