Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Politics

Bush urged to push for Iraq results

Republicans and Democrats urged the White House on Sunday to increase the pressure on Iraq's prime minister to crush militias blamed for the rising bloodshed.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 23, 2006

WASHINGTON - Republicans and Democrats urged the White House on Sunday to increase the pressure on Iraq's prime minister to crush militias blamed for the rising bloodshed.

President Bush expressed unwavering confidence in Nouri al-Maliki's ability to come to grips with the sectarian violence. Yet continued instability and rising casualties have led to calls, growing louder as the Nov. 7 elections near, for Bush to overhaul his war plan.

"I don't believe that a shift in tactics ought to wait until after the election," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

"There are too many casualties there. If we have a better course, we ought to adopt it sooner rather than later."

As Bush and the lawmakers debated Iraq policy on the Sunday talk shows, the U.S. military announced the deaths of four soldiers and a Marine, bringing to at least 83 the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq in October, the most for a month this year.

Sen. Jack Reed, D.-R.I., a member of the Armed Services Committee, said the Bush administration's Iraq policy is a failure. "What we have is a situation where this government over the last few months is deteriorating," Reed said.

While agreeing that Maliki is the best leader to support in Iraq right now, lawmakers from both parties said he must do more to find a political solution between warring Shiite and Sunni sects, or peace will remain out of reach.

Bush said that in his judgment, "Maliki has got what it takes to lead a unity government." But the president noted the urgency the new government faces to stop the killing.

"I'm patient. I'm not patient forever, and I'm not patient with dawdling," Bush said. "But I recognize the degree of difficulty of the task, and therefore, say to the American people, we won't cut and run."

He added it would be a sign of surrender "if you pull the troops out before the job is done. Absolutely."

A political problem

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., Bush's opponent in the 2004 presidential race, said a political rather than a military solution is needed.

"Either they resolve the political differences within this year because they want to or they don't want to. If they don't want to, there's nothing American troops can do," Kerry said.

Sen. John Warner, R.-Va., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said setting a withdrawal timetable could leave a security vacuum that terrorists would fill. But Warner has said a change in course may be necessary if the security situation does not improve soon.

He urged the Iraqi prime minister to give the Iraqi army more authority to improve security. "It is their job, not the U.S. coalition forces', to subdue and get rid of these private militias," Warner said.

Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the leading Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said the administration must pressure the Iraqis to make political compromises on power and oil resources.

"If they don't want to do that, if they're going to have a civil war, we have to tell them, 'You're going to do that without us,' " said Levin, who wants to see U.S. troops begin to leave Iraq by the end of the year.

Report is disputed

The White House took issue with a report in Sunday's New York Times that said the head of the U.S.-led multinational forces in Iraq and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq were working on a plan that probably would - for the first time - outline milestones for disarming sectarian militias and meeting other political and economic goals.

The newspaper said the blueprint to be presented to Maliki by the end of this year would not threaten Iraq with a withdrawal of U.S. troops.

The White House said the article was not accurate. It said the administration was constantly developing new tactics to help the new Iraqi government sustain, defend and govern itself.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Friday that U.S. officials are working with the Iraqi government to develop projections as to when they can take over various areas of responsibility so the Iraqis do not grow dependent on U.S. troops.

Democrats say it's past time for a change. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D.-Mass., said the administration was hinting at doing so because Democrats were threatening to capture control of Congress in the November elections.

"Let's hope that at long last we'll have a true change of policy by the administration and not just a political feint to get by in a tight election," Kennedy said.

[Last modified October 23, 2006, 01:46:08]