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Fool's Errand

WASHINGTON (XF) - Democratic attempts to set timelines for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq appear to have been derailed, The Xsociate Files can reveal, because the Bush administration is mulling the possibility of viewing the measures as an April Fool's day joke on the part of Congress. House and Senate negotiators have announced that a reconciled version of the Iraq supplemental appropriations bill will contain deadlines for withdrawing troops starting either in July or October of 2007 with a completion date of April 1, 2008.

But a source within the White House who asked not to be named because they were discussing insider deliberations says that President Bush thought the provision to be some kind of joke when he saw the April 1st deadline. According to the source, this interpretation was also backed by embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Up until now, President Bush has threatened to veto any funding bill which contains plans for withdrawal. But other sources familiar with the theory put forth suspect that he will sign the bill into law and merely ignore the April end date. Critics are outraged at the prospect.

"If he [Bush] thinks something like that might be funny, I can tell you the joke will be on him," one prominent political pundit is quoted as saying.

(Filed at State of the Day)

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