Bush, Democrats clash on Iraq

Democrats and President Bush Saturday offered a different take on the situation in Iraq in their respective addresses to the nation.

Bush pointed to the report on the situation in Iraq from Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker and argued that his troop surge strategy has improved the security situation in the country.

{mosads}In the Democrats’ retort, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (Calif.) sharply criticized the president and called the testimonies of Petraeus and Crocker an impossible task to “restore credibility to a discredited policy.”

The lawmaker added that the troop surge failed to bring stability to Iraq.

“It was intended to buy time for Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki and the other Iraqi political leaders to find ways to move toward the one thing that may end this terrible civil conflict – a political settlement,” Lantos said, noting the time had been “squandered.”

However, the president pointed to several examples of success in Iraq, including in the Anbar province.

“Today, citizens who once feared beheading for talking to our troops now come forward to tell us where the terrorists are hiding,” he said.

A free Iraq is “critical to the security of the United States,” he added.

Lantos said Democrats are expecting Bush to ask for more money, more patience and more sacrifices from American troops, “all in the belief that our continued intervention in Iraq will eventually bear fruit” he said.

“We need to get out of Iraq, for that country’s sake as well as our own,” Lantos stated.