An independent assessment concluding that Iraq has made little political progress in recent months despite an influx of U.S. troops drew fierce objections from the White House on Thursday and provided fresh ammunition for Democrats who want to bring troops home.
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- President Bush said in an interview broadcast Friday that he would be concerned about China's military if the country ever turned hostile, and he urged U.S. allies to complete the work still left in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Iraqi government has failed to meet the vast majority of political and military goals laid out by lawmakers to assess President Bush's Iraq war strategy, congressional auditors have determined.
President Bush said in an interview broadcast Friday that he would be concerned about China's military if the country ever turned hostile, and he urged allied countries to keep their troops in Iraq.
The U.S. troop surge in Iraq has thrown al Qaeda off balance and led to a reduction in sectarian violence and bombings, the U.S. commander in Iraq was quoted on Friday by an Australian newspaper as saying.
President Bush will urge U.S. allies at an Asia summit next week to stand firm against North Korea's nuclear program and to keep their troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Pentagon has disputed parts of a progress report on Iraq drafted by the Government Accountability Office, and asked that some of the assessment's failing grades on key political and security benchmarks be changed before the final report is made public next week, a Defense spokesman said...
Government Accountability Office findings on status of 18 military and political goals set by Congress for Iraq:
An independent assessment on the status of Iraq drew fierce pushback from the White House on Thursday and provided fresh ammunition for Democrats who want to bring troops home
The United Nations found small amounts of a potentially lethal chemical warfare agent, removed from Iraq a decade ago, in offices near its New York headquarters but officials said on Thursday there was no danger.