Republicans echo opposition call for plan on US troop withdrawal

Normally loyal Republican senators have stepped up their pressure on the White House over Iraq, demanding the Bush administration set out its plans to end the war, and insisting that within 12 months Iraq's own forces take the lead in the battle against insurgents.

Ostensibly, the plan seeks to head off a rival Democratic demand for a fixed timetable for a US withdrawal - something George Bush has always rejected on the grounds it would amount to "cut and run", and thus a victory for America's enemies.

In other respects, the Republican text is very similar to that of their opponents, which was defeated in a vote last night, denoting a new readiness by the Senate as a whole to challenge the handling of the war. It was a "potential turning point" in congressional attitudes to Iraq, Joseph Lieberman, the Connecticut Democrat, said.

For Republicans, moreover, the plan is the clearest sign yet of party unease at an ever more unpopular war, which has dragged down Mr Bush's approval ratings to record lows, and threatens the party's grip on Congress at next year's mid-term elections.

Under the scheme, the administration would have to deliver quarterly reports on the progress of the war, and the prospects for "completing the mission in Iraq" and pulling out US troops. The difference, essentially, is that Democrats want "estimated dates" for such a withdrawal, subject to the fulfilment of various conditions on the ground. For Republicans, this formulation would be a timetable by another name.

But both parties see 2006 as a pivotal year, when a serious drawdown of US forces could begin and when Iraqi forces should take the lead in ensuring domestic security, setting the stage for "the phased redeployment of American forces from Iraq".

The moves in Congress come as the White House is facing mounting accusations it manipulated intelligence to make the case for invasion. The charges have increased public distrust, withpolls putting Mr Bush's popularity at a new low of 37 per cent.

In a bid to regain public trust, the White House has rounded on its critics, accusing Democrats who voted in favour of war in October 2002 of seeking to "rewrite history" by assailing him now.

"They're playing politics with this issue," Mr Bush said in Alaska during a stopover on his way to Asia this week. "They are sending mixed signals to our troops and the enemy. That's irresponsible."