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WASHINGTON: The House of Representatives on Wednesday roundly defeated a resolution demanding President Barack Obama withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan, in a key election-year test for his war strategy.
Lawmakers routed the resolution in a 356-65 vote that saw 60 of Obama's Democratic allies and five of his Republican critics cast ballots to call home all US forces from what he has called the central front against extremism.
The measure demanded Obama pull US forces out of Afghanistan 30 days after the bill becomes law or, if he decides that is too dangerous, by no later than December 31.
The measure, crafted by Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich, enjoyed the support of Democrats on the party's left flank and some Republicans.
But Democrat Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned that a hasty withdrawal could lead to "a national security disaster" in the form of Taliban rule in Kabul and safe haven for Al-Qaeda.
"I'm keenly aware that even if we remain in Afghanistan - and here I want to emphasize this - there is no guarantee that we will prevail in our fight against Al-Qaeda. But if we don't try, we are guaranteed to fail," said Berman.
A January, public opinion poll by CNN television found 52 per cent of the US public opposed the war and 47 per cent supported it, but 61 per cent approved of Obama's decision to deploy another 30,000 US troops in a "surge" aimed at turning the tide against the Taliban militia, with 38 per cent opposed.
The study had an error margin of plus or minus three per centage points.
The resolution invokes the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which aimed to curb presidential war-fighting authority after years of fighting in Vietnam despite the absence of a formal declaration of war.
The Congress authorized the use of force in Afghanistan shortly after the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington carried out by Al-Qaeda militants which killed nearly 3,000 people.
Democratic Representative Lloyd Doggett voted against Kucinich's bill but expressed deep reservations about the war effort and called for "a narrower military footprint and a pragmatic exit strategy."
"Afghanistan can consume as many lives and as many dollars as we expend there," he said.
And, in an unusually angry speech, Democratic Representative Patrick Kennedy denounced the "despicable" US media, accusing reporters of mostly ignored the debate on the war while lavishing attention on a congressional sex scandal.
"It is despicable, the national press corps right now," he thundered, taking aim at coverage of fellow Democrat Eric Massa, who resigned his House seat under an ethics cloud and allegations he made sexually harassed male staffers.
- AFP/sc
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