WASHINGTON, Nov 19: The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly rejected a resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq after an acrimonious debate that brought out bitter divisions over the invasion.

In a new sign of White House concern at growing opposition to the occupation, President George Bush said that setting a date for withdrawal would be a ‘recipe for disaster’.

In a vote on Friday, ruling Republicans sought to rally support for the president after a surprise initiative by a Democratic lawmaker calling for a pullout, which brought the angry divide between Republicans and Democrats over Iraq policy to the surface.

A non-binding proposal calling for the ‘immediate’ withdrawal of the 160,000 US troops in Iraq was defeated by 403 votes to three.

Republicans said calls to bring home soldiers only highlighted US weakness and would be seen as a sign of disloyalty by troops in Iraq.

Representative John Murtha, a respected Democrat who won the Purple Heart in Vietnam, became the first lawmaker to call for a withdrawal on Thursday.

“The war is not going as advertised,” Mr Murtha said. “The American public is way ahead of us. ... We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action is not in the best interest of the United States. That’s my opinion.”

He tabled a resolution saying troops be redeployed ‘at the earliest practicable date’. His gesture, unthinkable only a few weeks ago, called for the creation of a rapid reaction force outside Iraq and for greater use of diplomacy to achieve stability in Iraq.

Republicans put up their own version of the resolution, calling for ‘the deployment of United States forces (to) be terminated immediately’, aiming to make the Democrats appear unpatriotic if they voted for the measure.

Furious at what they considered a Republican ploy to divert Mr Murtha’s move, Democrats voted against immediate withdrawal, but condemned the administration’s policy.

“The burden of war has not been shared equally, and the military and their families are shouldering this burden,” Mr Murtha said in a speech.

Republicans unleashed vitriolic attacks on Democrats who backed Mr Murtha.

Representative Joseph Wilson accused Democrats of ‘waving the white flag of Surrender’ against Iraqi guerillas.

Following the acrimonious debate in Congress, President Bush attacked critics during a visit to a US military base in South Korea.

“In Washington, there are some who say that the sacrifice is too great, and they urge us to set a date for withdrawal before we have completed our mission. Those who are in the fight know better,” Mr Bush told an estimated 5,000 members of the armed forces and their families at the Osan Air Force Base.—AFP