President Bush will be forced to use his veto after the Senate voted yesterday to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq on October 1.

The Senate emulated the Democrat controlled House of Representative’s decision to grant funds exceeding those requested for the US military "surge" in Iraq, on the condition that a date was set for troop withdrawal.

The Bill will land on President Bush’s desk by May 1, the fourth anniversary of his infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech in which he appeared onboard aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and declared “victory” in the war in Iraq.

The Senate passed the Bill strictly along party lines, but the White House confirmed that the decision would be vetoed. The Bill sets a non-binding target for full withdrawal by March 31, 2008 and approves a $124 billion increase to the military budget.

“I just spoke to the president in the Oval Office and, as he said he would for weeks, the president will veto this legislation,” spokeswoman Dana Perino said. “The Senate has now joined the House in passing defeatist legislation that insists on a date for surrender, micromanages our commanders and generals in combat zones from 6,000 miles away, and adds billions of dollars in unrelated spending to the fighting on the ground.”

This is the first time the Democrats have managed a full vote in both houses which directly opposes the President’s Iraq strategy. The White House insists it is still committed to a military “surge”, by sending more troops and further funding in an attempt to quell growing unrest in Iraq.

Harry Reid, the Democrat Senate Majority Leader, said: “If the President refuses to change direction, America risks being bogged down in Iraq for years, not months.

“For a President that took the country to war under false pretences, he now needs the courage to admit his policies have failed and work with us to bring the war to a responsible end. This Bill gives him a path forward."

The Republicans derided the twin votes as a publicity stunt, deliberately timed to coincide with the anniversary of the “Mission Accomplished” speech. Nancy Pelosi, who led the Democratic effort on the bill through the House of Representatives, rebutted the claims pointing to a mandate for policy change granted by the US mid-term elections.

“This legislation presents that new direction by supporting the troops, indeed, giving the president more than he asked for," she said. “The sacrifices borne by our troops and their families demand more than the blank cheques the President is asking for, for a war without end.”

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