By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 22 minutes ago
Defense Secretary Robert Gates asserted Tuesday the increase in U.S. forces in Iraq is "not the last chance" to succeed and conceded he's considering what steps to take if the buildup doesn't work.
"I would be irresponsible if I weren't thinking about what the alternatives might be," Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Gates was grilled on the war as the full Senate remained stalled over Democratic leaders' efforts to begin a debate over President Bush's course for Iraq.
Gates did not say what other options he was considering if the addition of 21,500 troops fails to control the violence in Baghdad and western Anbar province, where the Sunni insurgency is based.
"We at this point are planning for success," he said.
Gates and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sought to assure lawmakers the additional troops pegged for Iraq will go there with sufficient equipment for the fight.
They said that a shortage of armored vehicles in one phase of operations will be remedied by July, and troops who need them will not be deployed from their compound in Iraq until the vehicles are supplied.
Republican Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record) of Virginia pressed Gates on the question of what happens if Bush's plan doesn't work. "I have to believe we're thinking beyond the Baghdad operation," the senator said.
"It is not the last chance," Gates replied.
Despite divisions over the troop buildup, lawmakers on the committee voted 16-0 to approve Adm. William Fallon's nomination to become top U.S. commander in the Middle East.
They also approved Gen. George Casey, who has been the top U.S. general in Iraq, as the next Army chief of staff, on a 14-3 vote. Both nominations must be approved by the full Senate.
Negotiations on how to move forward on the full Senate debate were playing out alongside an emerging struggle over Bush's $624.6 billion request in defense spending.
The spending request marks the first time Bush has offered an estimate of how much the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost a year in advance.
Gates spoke a day after Bush sent Congress a proposed budget that includes nearly $142 billion for war costs for the next budget year starting Oct. 1. That would bring total spending on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the armed forces' worldwide efforts against terrorism to a massive $662 billion.
Gates acknowledged the "sticker shock" but said military spending is consuming less national wealth than during the Vietnam and Korean conflicts and after the Cold War.
A procedural vote Monday sidetracked debate on a resolution stating Senate opposition to the buildup. Most Democrats and several Republicans favor the nonbinding resolution, and Senate leaders sought to put the debate back on track.
"The president must hear from Congress, so he knows he stands in the wrong place — alone," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev.
The measure, if passed, would be a stinging critique of Bush's decision to deepen the U.S. military commitment in Iraq.
Republicans denied assertions that they were trying to block a vote on the measure. They said they were seeking fair rules and consideration of a GOP alternative measure.
"As far as stalling, we've got a week here where we can have a full debate," said Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (news, bio, voting record), R-Miss. "But we insist on it being a full debate and a fair one."
The two political parties were at odds after Democrats refused to give equal consideration during the debate to a Republican proposal by Sen. Judd Gregg (news, bio, voting record) of New Hampshire, which would protect the money for troops in combat.
While Democrats are largely supportive of the Gregg measure, they want to limit debate to only two proposals: one by Warner that states opposition to the troop buildup; and another by Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., that would support the president's position.
Several leading Democrats have endorsed Warner's measure, including Sens. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) of Illinois and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, but many Republicans were reluctant to say how they would vote. Sens. John Sununu (news, bio, voting record) of New Hampshire, George Voinovich (news, bio, voting record) of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski (news, bio, voting record) of Alaska and Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania were each considered GOP wild cards in the vote.