The New York Times informed in its Saturday edition that the Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of more than 40,000 servicemen from the war-torn country. This rumor comes before the 2008 US presidential elections, Bush probably hoping to gain the sympathy of Americans before November 4, 2008.

It is very unlikely that Bush would agree to such a measure, after he carried fierce battles with the Congress for a new war spending bill that would not contain a timetable for the withdrawal from Iraq. The Democrats couldn’t find a solution to override Bush’s veto and had to come up with a new spending plan.

Pressure on the Congress is mounting, as the White House wants to continue the siege started in January, but further actions have been delayed by the shortage of funding.

According to the same newspaper, high-ranked officials support the troop reduction plan, but on the other hand the lack of action from Iraq’s government seriously concerns Bush. The sectarian violence between Shiite and Sunni communities is still at high levels, the Baghdad authorities practically doing nothing, leaving the matter into foreign hands. This lack of attitude sparked criticism from the international community, Bush being the most vehement.