George McGovern To Address Democrats in Congress

An anti-war icon of the Vietnam era will address Democrats in Congress today as the party struggles to prevent its victory in the midterm elections being marred by bitter divisions and a lurch to the left over Iraq.

A former senator, George McGovern, who led the Democrats to a disastrous defeat in the 1972 presidential election with a platform of American withdrawal from Vietnam, will urge an immediate pull-out from Iraq at a meeting due to be attended by more than 60 senators and congressmen. The emerging Democratic consensus on bringing troops home from Iraq is a sign of the growing influence of those on the party's left.

This threatens to undermine the chances for a new spirit of bipartisanship that President Bush and Democratic leaders called for after his election defeat.

It could also harm Democratic chances in the 2008 presidential election if the party is seen as too radical. Senator Levin, the new chairman of the Senate armed services committee, said yesterday: "Most Democrats share the view that we should pressure the White House to commence the phased redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq in four to six months."

Mr. McGovern's address comes after Nancy Pelosi, due to be the new speaker of the House of Representatives, said she would back Rep. John Murtha, one of America's most vehement critics of the Iraq war, as her deputy. Her support for Mr. Murtha, who is a former marine officer who served in Vietnam, guarantees that there will be an acrimonious contest for the post of House majority leader. Ms. Pelosi also intends to block Congresswoman Jane Harman, a moderate, from chairing the House intelligence committee.

Mr. McGovern will speak to members of the left-wing Congressional Progressive Caucus, whose ranks were swelled in the elections. The 64-strong caucus will provide many committee chairmen in the new Congress when it is convened in January, by which time the caucus expects to have eight new members.

Mr. McGovern, 84, advocates removing American and British troops from the Middle East and establishing a transitional police force made up of Muslims from the region.

A year ago, Mr. Murtha became an anti-war hero after calling on Mr. Bush to end America's military involvement in Iraq.