On Tuesday, four years after President Bush gave a victory speech in front of a "mission accomplished" banner, the Congress passed the Iraq funding bill.

Within only a few hours, and to no one's surprise, the president vetoed the bill. After his veto, the president announced: "It makes no sense to tell the enemy when you plan to start withdrawing."

Ironically, in 1999 Mr. Bush criticized President Clinton for not setting a timetable for exiting Kosovo. He stated, "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is."

He also said: "I think it's also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn."

The president stated that the Iraq Supplemental bill is unacceptable because it "substitutes the opinions of politicians for the judgments of our military commanders."

However, this bill mirrors much of what was suggested by the Iraq Study Group.

The bill is also endorsed by prominent members of the military such as Maj. Gen. Mel Montano, who said, "Supporting the Iraq Supplemental Bill not only reflects the thinking of the Iraq Study Group but puts teeth to the phrase supporting the troops."

The president must understand that the current Iraq strategy is not working.

Last month marked one of the deadliest months for American soldiers; and, tens of thousands of Iraqis are being killed on a daily basis. And yet, the president is stubbornly seeking a military victory.

I believe that Congress' timetable seems realistic.

If the president demonstrates progress within the next five months, but needs a limited additional commitment, he will get it. But if the last-gasp "surge" produces no significant progress, it will be time to bring the soldiers back.

In the meantime, the president must concentrate on implementing political strategies, such as engaging in dialogues with Iran and Syria, in order to succeed in Iraq.

As Winston Churchill once said, "To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war."