WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said Wednesday that he would immediately pull about a third of U.S. combat troops out of Iraq if he were president.

Congress should also cut military funding to force President Bush to do so, Edwards said.

Edwards is going a step farther than rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, who want to cap the number of troops in Iraq to prevent Bush's increase, but are reluctant to cut funding while soldiers are on the ground.

"At this point, the escalation is under way, so blocking it is not enough," Edwards told reporters in a conference call. "So what I'm doing today is calling on Congress to take the next step, which is to cap funding."

Edwards spoke as the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives debated a measure opposing Bush's decision to send 21,500 troops to Iraq to help the 130,000 that were already there at the beginning of the year. Edwards said the non-binding resolution being debated is not enough.

Edwards proposed capping troops at 100,000 and says all combat forces should be out of Iraq within 12-18 months.

However, Edwards said he would not go as far as another Democratic primary rival, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who wants Congress to cut off funds to end the war. Edwards said the war needs to end in a "smart, orderly way."