“Where is (Secretary of State) Condoleeza Rice? Why isn't she over in the Middle East, as the chief diplomat of this country should be, trying to get the political forces to form a government over there?” Reid told The Associated Press.
Reid said the U.S. was “failing three different ways in Iraq.” Military efforts have lagged, the economy is crippled by decreased oil and electricity production, and attempts to form a representative government are behind schedule, he said.
Reid criticized Bush for a series of recent appearances in key political states in which the president defended his Iraq war policies.
“Why isn't he spending time with these leaders in the Middle East trying to get this government formed?” Reid said.
Reid described the conditions Iraq as “low-grade civil war.”
“I don't know how you define civil war. We know they're killing an average of 50 Iraqis a day. At least it's a low-grade civil war, that's for sure,” he said.