Iraq troop build-up 'not in US national interest'

Senate Democrats working with a well-known Republican war critic are developing a resolution declaring that US president George Bush’s troop build-up in Iraq “is not in the national interest”, says a person familiar with the document.

The resolution also would put the Senate on record as saying the US commitment in Iraq “can only be sustained” with popular support among the American public and in congress, according to an official familiar with the draft.

The official would speak only on grounds of anonymity because the drafting is still under way.

Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican and potential 2008 presidential candidate, is helping Democrats with the wording of the anti-war resolution.

Bush has been trying to sell his revised war plan to the public in a series of television interviews.

He told PBS’ Jim Lehrer in an interview broadcast yesterday that keeping his old policies in place would lead to “a slow failure”, but withdrawing from Iraq, as some Democrats and other critics suggest, would result in an “expedited failure”.

“I am frustrated with the progress,” Bush said.

“A year ago, I felt pretty good about the situation. I felt like we were achieving our objective, which is a country that can govern, sustain and defend itself. No question, 2006 was a lousy year for Iraq.”

Bush also said that the unruly execution of Saddam Hussein “looked like it was kind of a revenge killing”, making it harder to persuade a sceptical US public that Iraq’s government will keep promises central to Bush’s plan for a troop increase.

In his toughest assessment yet, Bush criticised the circumstances of Saddam’s hanging last month, as well as Monday’s execution of two top aides, including Saddam’s half-brother.

“I was disappointed and felt like they fumbled..the Saddam Hussein execution,” the president said.