Bush seeks more time for Iraq strategy

Washington, July 21: US President George W Bush and his generals appealed today for more time to allow his troop increase to work in Iraq, but a key Senate ally said September was still pivotal for evaluating the strategy.

Bush criticized Congress for preparing to leave for an August break without passing a defense policy bill that, among other things, would provide for a pay raise for military personnel and more equipment for the war.

''I also ask Congress to give our troops time to carry out our new strategy in Iraq,'' Bush told reporters at an appearance with veterans and military families at the White House.

Bush spoke a day after Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the No 2 US commander in Iraq, said while a widely anticipated report in September will indicate how the troop increase is progressing, a fuller assessment would take until November.

The report due on September 15 from Gen. David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, is considered central to the debate in Congress over whether to force the Bush administration to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq.

Bush has been trying to buy extra time for the troop rise he ordered in January, even though his own Republican party has grown restive and opinion polls show widespread public opposition to his Iraq policy.

He and his aides have acknowledged the September report would be significant, though at times they have tried to play it down as merely a progress report.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican and close Bush ally, said most members of his party considered the September report crucial.

''September is the month that we're looking at,'' the Kentucky senator said. ''There may be various generals or various politicians or others who want to mention some other key time, but I think the key time for the vast majority of my members is September.''

Democrats Push For Pullout

Even though some prominent Republicans such as Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana have distanced themselves from Bush's policy in recent weeks, so far most of the dissenters have not been willing to vote for the withdrawal timeline Democrats want.

Democrats, who narrowly control the Senate, held an all-night session this week to push for a pullout plan. So far, they do not have the votes to overcome procedural hurdles but are expected to renew their quest after the August recess.

Two senior Democrats presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton and the party's unsuccessful 2004 candidate John Kerry said today they would introduce a bill to force the Pentagon to report to Congress on contingency planning for an Iraq pullout.

In the near term, the Democrats' drive to change the course of the war is likely to move to the floor of the House of Representatives, which may take up a bill as soon as next week to bar permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq.

The legislation was written by Rep. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat. This week Lee also led 70 House members, mostly Democrats, in informing Bush that when Congress takes up defense funding legislation in September, members will only support money for Iraq operations to withdraw US troops.

Odierno, meanwhile, sought to clarify the remarks he made to reporters, saying the reference to November was not intended ''to push our reporting requirement beyond September.'' ''My reference to November was simply suggesting that, as we go forward beyond September, we will gain more understanding of trends,'' he said.

Reuters>