Congressional Republicans pushed back Monday against President Bush's decision to deploy additional troops in Iraq, some voicing opposition while others called for the administration and Iraqi government to be held accountable. In the Senate, three GOP lawmakers joined one Democrat in unveiling non-binding legislation expressing disagreement with Bush's plan and urging him to "consider all options and alternatives" to the planned increase of 21,500 troops.
In the House, members of the leadership drafted a series of what they called "strategic benchmarks," and said the White House should submit monthly reports to Congress measuring progress toward meeting them. The developments occurred on the eve of Bush's State of the Union address, and as Democrats pointed toward votes in the House and Senate in the next few weeks declaring that the troop increase was "not in the national interest of the United States." |