Senate opposition to Bush plan grows

Pentagon: 'Temporary surge'
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday he could not say just how long the buildup would last. “It’s viewed as a temporary surge, but I think no one has a really clear idea of how long that might be,” Gates told a White House briefing.

But he also said the United States should know pretty soon whether Iraqis were living up to their part of the deal and increasing their own forces.

In her opening remarks, Rice acknowledged widespread concerns about the war that has gone on almost four years and cost more than 3,000 American military lives.

“I want you to know that I understand and indeed feel the heartbreak that Americans feel at the continued sacrifice of American lives, men and women who can never be replaced for their families, and for the concern of our men and women who are still in harm’s way,” she said.

But Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden of Delaware told her: “Secretary Rice, to be very blunt, I cannot in good conscience support the president’s approach.”

In a tense exchange, Biden, D-Del., pressed Rice to say whether she was confident that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had the capability to provide enough Iraq troops to help in stabilizing the country.

“I think he knows that his government is in a sense on borrowed time,” she said.

Biden persisted, asking her again if she was confident al-Maliki would live up to his end of the bargain. “I’m confident,” she said.

Rice stressed Iraqi obligations for troops, money and the political will to allow the Bush plan to succeed. She promised oversight, without giving specifics.

“Iraqis are in the lead; we are supporting them,” Rice said.

Asked if the new U.S. and Iraqi offensive would go after Muqtada al-Sadr, the anti-U.S. radical Shiite cleric, Gates said, “All lawbreakers are susceptible to being detained or taken care of in this campaign.” Sadr is a key ally of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Meanwhile, a coalition of labor, anti-war groups and liberal organizations was announcing a multimillion-dollar advertising and grass-roots campaign against the commitment of extra troops.

In Wednesday’s 20-minute speech, Bush took responsibility for mistakes in Iraq and outlined a strategy he said would pull it out of its spiral of violence.

“If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home,” he said.

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