Bush says 'I'm the decision-maker' on Iraq

Washington, Jan 27: President George W Bush has rebuffed congressional criticism of his Iraq plan on Friday by insisting ''I'm the decision-maker'' and warned Iranians would be stopped if they attacked U S or Iraqi forces inside Iraq.

With Americans overwhelmingly opposing Bush's strategy to send 21,500 more U S troops to Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters that military officials were trying to get past logistical constraints to accelerate the increase.

Gates criticized congressional efforts to formally oppose the plan.

''It's pretty clear that a resolution that in effect says that the general going out to take command of the arena shouldn't have the resources he thinks he needs to be successful certainly emboldens the enemy,'' Gates said.

Bush spoke to reporters as he met Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus in the Oval Office shortly after the general was confirmed by the Senate 81-0 to lead U S forces in Iraq.

Petraeus will carry out a plan that has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers who worry Bush is deepening U S involvement in Iraq at a time when Americans are weary of a nearly 4-year-old war that shows no sign of winding down.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat and vocal critic of Bush, led a congressional delegation on a quick fact-finding mission to Baghdad.

In meetings with the Iraqi president and U S officials, ''We stressed our belief that it is well past time for the Iraqis to take primary responsibility for the security of their nation,'' the delegation said in a statement.

Bush, asked about congressional resolutions being prepared in both the House of Representatives and the Senate opposing his plan, made clear he had the authority to carry it out.

''One of the things I've found in Congress is that most people recognize that failure would be a disaster for the United States.

And in that I'm the decision-maker, I had to come up with a way forward that precluded disaster,'' Bush said.

Bush said he realized there was skepticism but that ''some are condemning a plan before it's even had a chance to work.'' IRAN On Iran, Bush and senior U S officials did not deny a report in The Washington Post that U S forces had the authority to capture or kill Iranian agents active in attacking American soldiers inside Iraq.

''It makes sense that if somebody is trying to harm our troops or stop us from achieving our goals or killing innocent citizens in Iraq, that we will stop them,'' Bush said. ''It's an obligation we all have to protect our folks and achieve our goals.'' Gates told reporters U S forces had the authority to go after those trying to kill them and said he was unaware of any change in the nature of that authority.

''If you're in Iraq and trying to kill our troops then you should consider yourself a target,'' he said.

Bush said any operations against Iranians would be conducted only inside Iraq. Two weeks ago, his comments about going after Iranian networks operating in Iraq prompted speculation in Washington the United States might launch attacks inside Iran.

''Some are trying to say that because we're enforcing, helping ourselves in Iraq by stopping outside influences killing our soldiers and hurting Iraqi people, that we want to expand this. ...

That's a presumption that's simply not accurate,'' Bush said.

''We believe that we can solve our problems with Iran diplomatically and are working to do that,'' he said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said he supported ''whatever it takes to protect'' US troops in Iraq ''but for the president to escalate this conflict outside Iraq is something he has to come back and ask us permission to do.'' Several Iranian officials have been detained in three U S raids over the past month.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States was looking at a ''mountain of evidence'' that Iranian agents were engaged in activities in Iraq and the Bush administration hoped to present some of that publicly.

Reuters