Support grows against troop build-up

Epitomizing growing pressure in Congress against President Bush's Iraq war buildup, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that the conflict there "is not an obligation of the American people in perpetuity."

Pelosi said Bush "has dug a hole so deep he can't even see the light on this. It's a tragedy. It's a stark blunder."

Democratic support is building around a resolution that would rebuff Bush's plans to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, and more Republicans are looking for ways to sign on to the measure.

As the White House scrambled to secure the dwindling backers of Bush's war policies on Capitol Hill, Republican Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon signaled that a simple wording change could persuade him to join the Democrats.

Pelosi said House Democrats would back a Senate Democratic resolution declaring that the troop increase is "not in the national interest of the United States." Senate leaders expect to begin action on the nonbinding measure next Wednesday.

Senate Democrats, backed by two Republicans, unveiled legislation Wednesday that criticized Bush's decision. "It is not in the national interest of the United States to deepen its military involvement in Iraq, particularly by escalating the United States military force presence in Iraq," the nonbinding Senate measure states.

Smith said his reluctance to back the resolution hinged on the word "escalating," which he said is a partisan term that unnecessarily inflames the issue. He said he is working with Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Ben Nelson, D-Neb. on a "constructive, nonpartisan resolution that expresses the opposition of the Senate to the surge."

Pelosi's commitment came as Bush and senior administration officials worked to limit Republican defections.

"He said, 'If you can help us out, I really appreciate your help,"' Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said after a White House meeting with the commander in chief.

At a news conference Thursday, Pelosi said, "That resolution will be supported by Democrats in the House." But she also offered no indication that Congress will be able to prevent Bush from carrying out his plan.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the House majority leader, said, "As a practical matter, we know that the president has the constitutional authority ... to increase the troops."

Democratic leaders in both houses of Congress have said repeatedly they will not support any attempt to cut off funds for troops already deployed.

"The president knows that because the troops are in harm's way, that we won't cut off the resources. That's why he's moving so quickly to put them in harm's way," Pelosi said Friday on ABC's "Good Morning America." She said the president avoided consulting with Congress before beginning the buildup.

Sen. Joe Biden, the Delaware Democrat who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, said the panel will debate the resolution criticizing Bush's troop escalation on Wednesday.

Republican lawmakers in both houses are expected to draft alternative legislation, in part to give party members a measure to support rather than merely oppose what Democrats draft. Officials said one possibility under discussion is an alternative that supports the troop increase as long as the Iraqi government meets certain conditions.

Administration supporters have expressed concerns the president faces a bipartisan repudiation of significant proportions.

So far, Republican Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Olympia Snowe of Maine have said they back the resolution.

Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., echoed Smith's opposition to the troop increase but also said "there are some things in the resolution I don't agree with, and so we're kind of looking at language."

Bush's meeting with lawmakers was his third session in as many days as he struggles to build support for an increase in troops for a war that is opposed by the public and played a role in Republican setbacks in last fall's elections. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley traveled to the Capitol to meet with House Republicans.

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