President Bush is receiving a closed-door briefing from senior military officials at the Pentagon Thursday on the situation in Iraq. The meeting takes place one day after a group of moderate congressional Republicans had what is being described as an unusually "blunt" discussion on Iraq with Mr. Bush and his senior aides at the White House.
The 11 lawmakers told the president that the war in Iraq is harming future election prospects for Mr. Bush's Republican Party, and that frustration with the Iraqi government is growing.
The Republican lawmakers told the president they will remain united against a new Democratic bill in the House, but told him an exit from Iraq is almost inevitable.
The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives is likely to vote later Thursday on a new bill to fund the war. The bill would initially provide nearly $43 billion for military operations in Iraq through July.
Mr. Bush would then have to prove that Iraq is making political or military progress before Congress releases another $53 billion.
However, the bill is believed to have no chance of being approved by the Senate, where the Democratic Party majority is slim. And the White House says President Bush will veto the bill if it reaches his desk.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a Senate committee on Tuesday the bill would hinder overall military operations.
In the Senate, Republican Party Senator Olympia Snowe and Democratic Party Senator Evan Bayh have introduced a bill that would reduce U.S. troops in Iraq if the Iraqi government fails to meet certain benchmarks for stabilizing the country. - VOA News
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