Edwin Chen and Roger Runningen 18 minutes ago
July 10 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush, confronted by a spreading Republican revolt over his Iraq strategy, said the U.S. still can prevail in the conflict and bring about a stable democracy there.
Six months after he announced his plan to increase the number of U.S. combat troops in Iraq to quell sectarian violence in Baghdad, the president said today that Congress should await a September progress report before taking any action to cut short the U.S. commitment.
``I fully understand that when you watch the violence on TV every night, people are saying, `Is worth it, can we accomplish an objective?''' Bush told a business group in Cleveland. ``Yes we can accomplish this fight and win in Iraq. And secondly, I want to tell you, we must.''
Bush is under pressure from lawmakers in Congress, including some senior Republican senators such as Dick Lugar of Indiana to retool his strategy with a goal of beginning to withdraw some of the 155,000 U.S. troops. While he argued today there isn't enough evidence in Iraq now to justify a change of course, some members of Congress say it is time.
``The tide has turned,'' Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine said yesterday. ``We have to set it in motion,'' she added, speaking of a troop pullout.
Supporters and Opponents
One of the strongest supporters of Bush's current strategy, Senator John McCain of Arizona, said on the Senate floor today that lawmakers must give the military plan a chance to work.
``No lasting political settlement can grow out of U.S. withdrawal,'' said McCain, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. ``I know that senators are tired of this war,'' he said. ``We cannot let fatigue dictate our policies.''
Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, the leading contender for the Democratic nomination, said today she would begin withdrawing troops within 60 days of taking office should she win the election. She called Bush's promises regarding the war hollow.
``Every year, we hear about how next year they may start coming home,'' Clinton said in a statement. ``Now we are hearing a new version of that yet again from the president as he has more troops in Iraq than ever and the Iraqi government is more fractured and ineffective than ever.''
Report to Congress
Congress is due to get as soon as this week a progress report from Army General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the top two U.S. military and civilian leaders in Iraq, assessing Iraqi progress on meeting military and political objectives. Another, more extensive report is scheduled for September.
``I welcome a good honest debate, but I believe it's in the nation's interest to give the commander the chance to fully implement his strategy,'' Bush said. ``And then we can work together on a way forward.''
In the meantime, the president said, ``the Iraqis got to do more work,'' adding that the July 15 report will list ``of some of the accomplishments and some of the shortfalls of their political process.''
The addition of 21,500 extra combat troops in Baghdad and other restive areas of Iraq hasn't stemmed sectarian violence in the country. U.S. military deaths have climbed to more than 3,600 as rebels also continue to target American forces with roadside bombs, gunfire and other forms of attack.
The Senate, which is considering a $648.8 billion measure funding all U.S. military operations in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, may take up several amendments to change course in Iraq. That include requiring a minimum home leave between combat deployments, rescinding Congress's 2002 vote to authorize war, and embracing key elements of the Iraq Study Group's recommendations urging pullout of most U.S. combat troops by the first quarter of 2008 and diplomatic engagement with Iran and Syria.
To contact the reporters on this story: Edwin Chen in Cleveland, at echen32@bloomberg.net Roger Runningen in Washington at rrunningen@bloomberg.net