Murtha Sees Troop Pullout by ’07
WASHINGTON — Rep. John P. Murtha, a Vietnam veteran first elected in the antiwar fever of 1974, predicted Thursday that American troops would be brought home from Iraq by 2007.
Either President Bush will bow to public opinion or Democrats will have won control of the House of Representatives and increased pressure on the White House, Murtha (D-Pa.) said in an interview.
Most likely, there will be a “tidal wave” that propels Democrats into the majority, Murtha said. He predicts Democrats will gain 40 to 50 seats -- well more than the 15 needed for the party to gain control.
Murtha, 73, a retired Marine who has generally been hawkish on war issues, shocked Washington in November when he said the war could not be won and troops should come home. He offered a plan that would keep troops in the region in case of a national security emergency.
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