Bush Braces for Policy Fight Over Iraq

[babylonsister]

Bush Braces for Policy Fight Over Iraq
By TOM RAUM 09.08.07, 11:21 AM ET



SYDNEY, Australia -

President Bush, facing a critical juncture in the war, urged Democrats and Republicans on Saturday to unite and back the war strategy he'll lay out shortly for the next chapter of U.S. involvement in Iraq.

After days of diplomacy at an Asia-Pacific summit here, Bush is gearing up for contentious debate back home next week on Capitol Hill.

Democratic leaders want to pass legislation that would bring troops home beginning this fall, but they don't have enough votes to stop Bush from sticking to his war strategy. Republican leaders think they can maintain the support of most GOP lawmakers, especially with recent security improvements in Anbar province and Baghdad.

In his weekly radio address, Bush recounted his surprise trip to the desert in western Iraq, where he met with Iraqi leaders and local sheiks who have joined U.S.-led coalition forces in fighting al-Qaida.

"Together we have driven al-Qaida out of strongholds in Anbar," Bush said. "The level of violence is down. Local governments are meeting again. Young Sunnis are joining the police and army. And normal life is returning.

"The people of Anbar have seen that standing up to the terrorists and extremists leads to a better life," Bush said. "And Anbar has shown that improving security is the first step toward achieving economic progress and political reconciliation."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's assessment of the situation on the warfront had a different tone. In the Democratic radio address, the Nevada senator repeated his contention that Bush had misled the country into "an ill-planned war in Iraq" before finishing the job of destroying al-Qaida.

The U.S. military is not to blame for setbacks in the war, Reid added. "These are President Bush's failures - and it is long past time for him to change his flawed policies," he said.

more...

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/08/ap4095977.html

[leftchick]

1. if only

I will believe it when I see it.