A Democrat and a Republican unite to tell Bush Admin to speed up on letting Iraqi refugees in

[ck4829]

Lawmakers from Texas and elsewhere are pressing the Bush administration to speed up efforts to admit thousands of Iraqis driven from their homes by the escalating violence in their country — especially those who worked for the Americans.

"It is not major science to detect those who worked for the U.S.," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "It doesn't make sense they can't (process applicants) faster."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, one of the administration's staunchest defenders on Capitol Hill, said he was unhappy with the trickle of Iraqis entering the country. "It continues to be a work in progress," he said, "but I'm not satisfied with where we are."

The criticisms came in the aftermath of a Houston Chronicle article detailing the plight of the estimated 4 million Iraqis who have been forced to flee amid their country's sectarian fighting.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/world/5046030.html