Top U.S. Democrats have pledged support to a senate resolution against President George W. Bush's Iraq plan drafted by Republican senator John Warner, CNN reported Thursday.

In doing so, they abandoned a rival measure which is harsher in words to criticize Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, according to the report.

After Warner offered to make changes to his proposal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a top Democrat, said the Senate should begin debating Warner's resolution next week.

Richard Durbin, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, also pledged support for Warner's resolution.

"We believe he has now attracted enough bipartisan support for his version that we can use it as the starting point for our debate," he said.

The support from top Democrats for Warner's measure makes it more likely the Senate will approve a resolution that is politically damaging to the president.

Carl Levin, a sponsor for a rival resolution, said he changed his mind and now favors Warner's resolution.

On the other side, Senate Republicans who back the president's Iraq policy have stepped up their opposition to any non-binding resolution against Bush's plan during the past two days.

Democratic leaders in the House have said they will wait for the Senate to act on a resolution before they take up one of their own.

Source: Xinhua