Perry sees Iraq "quagmire" absent changes (Dem Radio Address)

[maddezmom]

By Lisa Richwine
5 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States risks being stuck in a "quagmire" in Iraq unless the Bush administration changes strategy, a Democratic member of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group said on Saturday.

Former Defense Secretary William Perry said the United States "is being torn apart by the controversy over the American military presence in Iraq."

"The term 'quagmire' recalls one of the saddest periods in American history, which we do not want to relive. But I believe that is likely to happen if we 'stay the course' in Iraq," Perry said during the Democrats' weekly radio address.

The word 'quagmire' is often used by historians and journalists to describe U.S. failures in the Vietnam War. "Stay the course" is an expression President George W. Bush has repeated to describe his Iraq policy, though the administration has since distanced itself from the phrase, insisting it is always open to adjusting tactics in Iraq.


more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061216/pl_nm/iraq_democrats_dc