US President George W. Bush was to huddle with top US generals yesterday to discuss the US strategy in Iraq amid a bloody surge in violence there and one of the deadliest months for US troops.
The meeting also comes in the midst of growing calls for Bush to change his strategy in Iraq and less than three weeks before legislative elections in which opposition Democrats hope to gain control of Congress.
White House spokesman Tony Snow insisted that the meeting had been "on the schedule for weeks" and was not in response to the rising violence and US death toll.
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the meeting was "nothing unusual."
Bush already met with General John Abizaid, his top commander in the Middle East, at the White House on Friday.
He was scheduled to hold a broader meeting yesterday with Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, General George Casey -- the US commander in Iraq who was to join in via a video hook-up from Baghdad -- and Abizaid, officials said.
The meeting comes as Iraqi police battled Shiite militia for control of a city that had recently been turned over to Iraqi security forces.
A top US general also acknowledged this week that a campaign to secure Baghdad had failed to dampen sectarian violence there.
Opposition Democrats called on Bush to revise his strategy and convene an international conference to support a political settlement in Iraq.
"We urge you to change course, level with the American people, and join with us to develop a policy that will work, before the situation in Iraq is irretrievable," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in an open letter to Bush.
Calls among Republican lawmakers for a change of course in Iraq also have mounted ahead of the midterm elections on Nov. 7.
Earlier last week, Bush agreed that a comparison of the situation to the 1968 Tet Offensive, which crystallized domestic opposition to the Vietnam War, "could be right."
Rumsfeld acknowledged at a press conference that the violence in Iraq is "higher than it has been."
But he would not say whether the administration and top US commanders were considering a change in strategy or merely refining tactics to deal with the worsening situation.
He said yesterday's meeting with the president "was a regular session where we -- I think this is the third or fourth of them -- where we are updated and review the circumstance and discuss the way forward."
Snow said, "The president understands the difficulty in a time of war, and he also understands that what you do is you adjust tactically."
But the latest fighting in the southern city of Amara struck directly at the US strategy of progressively turning over relatively secure areas to Iraqi security forces, thereby allowing the withdrawal of US and coalition forces.
British troops had turned over security for the city to Iraqi forces in August. When they pulled out, their base on the city's outskirts was looted.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS