Bush prepares Iraq bill veto

Moving toward a veto of a war spending bill, US President George Bush today said Democrats who made the legislation a showdown over withdrawing US troops could turn Iraq into a “cauldron of chaos” with their approach.

“Success in Iraq is critical to the security of free people everywhere,” Bush said at the headquarters of US Central Command at Macdill Air Force Base, in Florida, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, including Iraq.

Congress was expected to send the bill to the president sometime today, and he planned to veto it either later today or early tomorrow.

Later tomorrow, Bush is scheduled to meet at the White House with bipartisan congressional leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid accused Bush of putting American troops “in the middle of a civil war” in Iraq, according to prepared remarks that he planned to deliver today when Congress sends the president the spending bill.

“After more than four years of a failed policy, it’s time for Iraq to take responsibility for its future,” Reid said.

AP