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In order to send more troops to Iraq, President Bush must get the approval of Congress to spend the necessary money. This isn't unusual; Congress has approved a total of about $500 billion for fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001. The president is expected to request another $100 billion for the war. One important thing will be different this time. The Democrats now have a majority in Congress. The Democrats believe that the main reason they won the November elections was that people are unhappy with the war in Iraq. Right now, the Democrats are debating how to respond to the president's call for more troops. Here you see two top Democratic senators. Sen. Carl Levin has said that he would consider going along with a troop increase, with certain requirements. Sen. Levin wants assurances that the increase is only temporary, and that U.S. troops would begin leaving Iraq within a year. He also wants any increase to be linked to definite improvements in the Iraqi government's ability to take care of the country. Sen. Biden, on other hand, is against any increase in U.S. troops in Iraq. The Speaker of the House has said that the Democrats might turn down the president's request for more money to send troops to Iraq. But many Democrats are worried about voting against a request for more money for the Iraq war even if they were against the war in the first place. How do you think the Democrats should respond to the president's request for more troops? |
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