Warner Calls for Bush to Announce Iraq Withdrawal

August 23, 2007— -- It seemed like another sleepy August day in Washington until Sen. John Warner R-Va., dropped some big news in the laps of political reporters and called for President Bush to announce on Sept. 15 that he will start to withdraw U.S. troops in Iraq.

ABC News' Dean Norland reports that Warner said the President should set the timetable, not Congress, and if a first withdrawal of troops by Christmas is a success, a date and time would be set for a second contingent to be redeployed. LINK

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in Crawford Thursday that he doesn't think the President feels any differently about setting a specific timetable for withdrawal in Iraq – and we all know how fond he is of that idea.

Johndroe said repeatedly that the White House is waiting for the report from Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker before making decisions about the way forward.

Shifting to domestic politics…Friday is a big day for Mitt Romney.

Romney, who enacted a health insurance law in Massachusetts that in effect moved toward universal health care, will formally lay out his plan for the nation's health care system in a 12:00 pm ET speech before the Florida Medical Association at Westin Diplomat resort and Spa in Hollywood, Florida

ABC News' Matt Stuart reports that Romney's plan is expected to draw largely on the plan he spearheaded in Massachusetts during his time as Governor. Expanding on his stump speech, Romney will emphasize that a "one size fits all" policy will fail and urges a state-by-state approach is the way to go.  

Romney regularly underscores his belief that universal health care must come from the private sector rather than from a broad government agency, Stuart reports. In Friday's speech, he's expected to suggest a system of de-regulation of the insurance markets and removing tax discriminations against those who purchase insurance individually.

Romney likes to say that should he win the Republican nomination, he'll welcome a debate about health care with Hillary Clinton, who led the famously failed effort at universal health care during her husband's presidency in the 1990s.