Senate to take up Pentagon spending bill

WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- Four Democratic presidential hopefuls will seek to strengthen their positions when they debate the U.S. role in Iraq from the Senate floor next week.

The Senate is to take up annual Defense Department authorization bill -- a magnet for war-related amendments, the Washington Post reported Saturday.

Among those looking to reshape the bill are Sens. Barack Obama, of Illinois, Hillary Rodham Clinton, of New York, Joseph R. Biden Jr., of Delware, and Christopher J. Dodd, of Connecticut.

They are expected to press for President George W. Bush to change course and begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq this year, the Post said.

Congressional Democrats were handed a substantial setback in May when they failed to override a veto of an emergency war spending bill, eventually sending it back to the president's desk with few restrictions.