The House on Friday overwhelmingly rejected calls for an immediate pullout from Iraq.
"Our troops have become the enemy. We need to change direction in Iraq," said Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a Democratic hawk whose call a day earlier for pulling out troops sparked a personal debate over the war.
The House voted 403-3 to reject a nonbinding resolution for the military to pull out of Iraq. "We want to make sure that we support our troops that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will not retreat," Speaker Dennis Hastert, said.
It was the second time in less than a week that President Bush's Iraq policy sparked heated debate in Congress. On Tuesday, the Senate defeated a Democratic push for Bush to lay out a timetable for withdrawal.
