WASHINGTON, 29 January 2005 — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., called Thursday for a phased US military withdrawal from Iraq, becoming the most prominent member of Congress to advocate a troop pullout since American forces invaded the strife-torn Middle Eastern nation 22 months ago.

Speaking only three days ahead of crucial Iraqi parliamentary elections, Kennedy detailed a plan that called for the immediate pullout of about 10 percent of American military forces “to send a signal about our intention,” followed by a clearly outlined exit strategy.

Kennedy has been a consistent critic of American involvement in Iraq. But his speech could help fuel a small but growing movement on Capitol Hill in favor of bringing troops home.

Until recently, politicians from both parties — even those who consider the decision to invade Iraq misguided or the occupation plan shortsighted — have been unanimous that retreat would be irresponsible. Kennedy voiced an alternative view.

“We have reached the point that a prolonged American military presence in Iraq is no longer productive for either Iraq or the United States,” Kennedy said at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. “The US military presence has become part of the problem not a part of the solution. We need a serious course correction and we need it now.”

A day before Kennedy’s address, a group of 23 House Democrats introduced a resolution calling on Bush to begin the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

“Our very presence in Iraq is the cause of much of the violence,” said Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey, D-Calif., one of the sponsors. “We have a moral responsibility to leave in order to stem the violence.”

Kennedy’s five-point plan also included a shift of the main burden of political support for an Iraqi transitional government from the United States to the United Nations and accelerated training of Iraqi security forces.

Kennedy’s proposal was immediately rejected by many Republicans, both inside and outside of the administration as unhelpful and unrealistic.

A senior Republican Senate aide described the idea of turning over political support of Iraq to the United Nations as “unrealistic” and noted the Bush administration already had placed a high priority on training Iraqi forces.

“What he’s suggesting is either impractical or already being done,” the aide said.

Kennedy’s remarks came amid mounting public disenchantment about the course of the war and a new willingness among congressional Democrats to challenge the administration on its conduct of the conflict.

But several prominent Democratic critics of the administration’s Iraq policies stopped short of endorsing Kennedy’s pullout proposal.

“To announce we’re going to draw down now in the face of the election, I think, is counterproductive, said Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del., the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., another administration critic, agreed.

“It’s been increasingly clear that our entry to Iraq was a strategic mistake,” he said. “But you don’t compound that by making another mistake to leave peremptorily.”

Despite such views, the idea of bringing the troops home now appears to be slowly gaining. On Tuesday, Rep. Martin T. Meehan, D-Mass., argued that a timetable for a phased withdrawal of US troops over the next 12-18 months would change the political debate in Iraq and draw more Iraqi support to the transitional government.

Growing public doubts about the wisdom of President Bush’s policies also have convinced outnumbered Democrats on Capitol Hill that there is political ground on which to take a stand.

“There is a rising concern up here that the president needs to correct the current course in Iraq,” a Democratic Senate leadership aide said. “All of these guys are hearing from their constituents about the killed and wounded overseas. Some might quibble about the suggestion of a timetable, however.”

The Republican National Committee blasted Kennedy for pessimism, partisanship and defeatism.