New Delhi: The Democratic-controlled US Congress has set the stage for a historic veto showdown with President George Bush.
This happened after the Senate and the House of Representatives passed a Bill that sets a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq.
The Senate passed the Bill by a 51-46 vote, a day after it was passed 218 to 208 by the House of Representatives.
The Bill provides for a $124 billion war fund while setting a non-binding March 31 deadline for the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, starting October 1, this year.
The Bill will be shot down by a Presidential veto since it was not carried by a two-thirds majority, but it's nonetheless a major embarrasment to the Bush administration.
The Democratic-controlled Senate had narrowly signaled support in March for the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq.
The roll call marked the Senate's most forceful challenge to date of the administration's handling of a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,200 US troops.
"This is a strong message which amplifies the action of the House and reflects the overwhelming sentiment of the American people," Senator Jack Reed of D-Rhode Island was then quoted by news agency Associated Press as saying. "It's a message that must be heeded by the president and by the government of Iraq."
Three months after Democrats took power in Congress, Reid said the moment was at hand to "send a message to President Bush that the time has come to find a new way forward in this intractable war".
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