“The draft bill would create a timeline for a gradual departure, much as some Democrats in the United States have demanded, and require the Iraqi government to secure parliament’s approval before any extensions of the United Nations mandate for foreign forces in Iraq, which expires at the end of 2007.”

“[A]s in the United States, Iraq’s legislators are moving away from the views of the government, particularly on the basic issue of the American presence in Iraq. The draft bill is being championed by a 30-member bloc loyal to al-Sadr, but it has support from some other Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish legislators.”

“The most prominent political parties in Iraq, including al-Maliki’s Dawa party, do not support setting dates for withdrawal.”

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173351156603&path=!nationworld&s=1037645509161

Meanwhile:

Swing Voters Trouble Antiwar Dems

“”Swing voters are torn,’ says a Democratic strategist with close ties to the national party. ‘They aren’t sure immediate withdrawal is a good idea’ — and, as President Bush says, they don’t want the sacrifices of U.S. troops to go to waste.”

“‘It works into a negative narrative that the Democrats are not standing up and fighting for what they believe in,’ says the strategist. And many voters are linking that perception to their longtime concern that the Democrats are weak on national security. ‘A lot of people think, if you won’t stand up and fight for what you believe in’ — pulling out the troops — ‘then you won’t stand up and defend us.’”

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070525/25swing.htm