The opposition-controlled US Congress was to hear from retired generals yesterday on military options in Iraq, as sentiment against the war mounts following President George W. Bush's announcement that more troops are going to the region.
The retired generals testifying at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee include Joseph Hoar, who headed the US Central command in the 1990s, former National Security Agency director William Odom, and former NATO chief Wesley Clark.
Clark, a 2004 Democratic Party presidential hopeful, and Odom have been critical of the Bush policies in Iraq.
Also on the agenda: the House Armed Services Committee will hear from Department of Defense officials and others on audits of reconstruction in Iraq.
The hearing comes one day after Democrats Joseph Biden and Carl Levin joined Republican Chuck Hagel to introduce a non-binding Senate resolution calling Bush's plan "not in the national interest."
The draft resolution called on the US to transfer to Iraq's government and military "under an appropriately expedited timeline" responsibility for security and halting sectarian violence, and to work for an internationally sponsored peace and reconciliation in Iraq.
"US strategy and presence on the ground in Iraq can only be sustained with the support of the American people and bipartisan support from Congress," Biden told reporters.
Legislators on Wednesday also presented a bill requiring Congress to approve funding for any additional troops, and another calling for a full US withdrawal from Iraq.
Polls meanwhile showed there was mounting domestic discontent with the direction of the war.
The Pew Research Center found that 62 percent of those interviewed said that things were going badly in Iraq, up from 43 percent compared with June last year.
By a 51-40 percent margin more believe military action was the wrong decision to take in Iraq, up from 44-49 percent in June.
Pew found that 61 percent opposed Bush's troop surge in Iraq, with 31 percent favoring it.
The White House however was determined to press ahead with its plan to "surge" 21,500 more troops into Iraq, as Bush announced on Jan. 10.
"At this point, the president has obligations as a commander in chief. And he will go ahead and execute them," Bush spokesman Tony Snow said.
"To tie one's hand in a time of war is a pretty extreme move," he added, referring to a bill presented by Senator Christopher Dodd that would require Congress to approve any increase in US troops in Iraq.
Senator Hillary Clinton, whose statements are closely scrutinized amid expectations that she will soon announce her candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, said that she had returned from her recent trip to Iraq and Afghanistan with "a strong opposition to the president's plan for escalation" in Iraq.
"I do not think that this strategy has a very high level of success at all attached to it. In fact, I think that at best, it's a holding pattern," she told NBC television.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS