Bush Holds Strategy Session on Iraq

In this photo provided by the White House, President Bush speaks during a video teleconference with Vice President Dick Cheney, on screen, and military commanders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, in Washington Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006. Pictured from left are National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, Deputy National Security Advisor J.D. Crouch, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State on Iraq David Satterfield, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Gen. John Abizaid and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace. (AP Photo/The White House, Eric Draper) (Eric Draper - AP)

Democrats are stepping up their criticism of what they call Bush's "stay the course" policy. Many contend the war was ill-advised from the start, is being mismanaged now and exacerbates the terrorism threat globally.

On Saturday, Democratic congressional candidate Diane Farrell from Connecticut said Bush should fire Rumsfeld and that Congress should set clear benchmarks for Iraqis that, when met, would allow U.S. troops to leave the country.

"We need a new direction in Iraq," said Farrell, chosen by the party to give its weekly radio address. "To be blunt, the president and the Republican Congress have been wrong on Iraq and wrong to keep their failed strategy."

A small but growing number of Republicans _ even loyal conservatives who face little re-election challenge _ is expressing a desire for significant change. Those voicing doubts include Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner of Virginia; Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas; and several House Republicans.

Last week, the U.S. military spokesman in Iraq acknowledged a stepped-up operation to secure Baghdad was failing after two months and that it needed to be refocused.

Though Bush and his aides publicly voice the utmost confidence in Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, frustration is growing with his lack of progress in reining in militias. On Friday, gunmen loyal to an anti-American Shiite cleric briefly seized a major southern city, an embarrassment for the local Iraqi security forces.

Three Marines died in combat Saturday, making October the deadliest month for American forces in Iraq this year and putting it on course to be the deadliest in two years.

Bush has sought to highlight good news while showing he is aware of the problems. "The last few weeks have been rough for our troops in Iraq, and for the Iraqi people," he said on the radio.

The president argues that "stay the course" is not an accurate description of an Iraq strategy that he says remains nimble in the face of shifting circumstances.

"Our commanders on the ground are constantly adjusting their approach to stay ahead of the enemy, particularly in Baghdad," Bush said.

In other similar statements, the White House has appeared in recent days to be setting the stage for an announcement and trying to manage the expectations for what that could be.

An independent commission led by former secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton of Indiana is not expected to make its recommendations for a new strategy until December or January. But Bush and his aides have rejected the most drastic ideas that some have floated, such as partitioning Iraq into semiautonomous Shiite, Sunni and Kurd regions or setting a timetable for a phased withdrawal of troops.

On Friday, Rumsfeld said U.S. officials, including Casey and Khalikzad, are working with the Iraqi government to develop projections as to when they think they can pass off various pieces of responsibility for both security and governing. He provided no detail about specific benchmarks and emphasized that whatever expectations are set for the Iraqi government would not be set in stone.

"The biggest mistake would be to not pass things over to the Iraqis, create a dependency on their part, instead of developing strength and capacity and competence," he said. "It's their country, they're going to have to govern it, they're going to have to provide security for it, and they're going to have to do it sooner rather than later."