US President George W Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq was heavily criticised by Democrats and some Republicans today despite a plea by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for a "national imperative not to fail."
Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel told Rice the president's plan was "the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam, if it's carried out."
Secretary of State Rice was questioned by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of both parties .
"You're going to have to do a much better job" explaining the rationale for the war, "and so is the president," Republican Senator George Voinovich told her. He said Bush could no longer count on his support.
"I've gone along with the president on this and I've bought into his dream and at this stage of the game I just don't think its going to happen," Voinovich said.
In her opening remarks, Secretary Rice acknowledged widespread concerns about the war both among members of Congress and ordinary Americans.
"I want you to know that I understand and indeed feel the heartbreak that Americans feel at the continued sacrifice of American lives, men and women who can never be replaced for their families, and for the concern of our men and women who are still in harm's way," she said.
"This is a time for a national imperative not to fail in Iraq," she added.
Democratic Senator Joe Biden, the committee chairman, told her, "Secretary Rice, to be very blunt, I cannot in good conscience support the president's approach."
And in a Senate speech, the Democrat's Majority Leader Harry Reid said that while Bush's plan would be carefully scrutinised, "In choosing to escalate the war, the president virtually stands alone."
Rice engaged in a tense exchange with Hagel, a Vietnam veteran and longtime critic of Bush's Iraq policy, disputing his characterisation of Bush's buildup as an "escalation."
"Putting in 22,000 more troops is not an escalation?" Hagel asked. "I think, senator, escalation is not just a matter of how many numbers you put in."
"Would you call it a decrease?" Hagel asked.
"I would call it, senator, an augmentation that allows the Iraqis to deal with this very serious problem that they have in Baghdad," she said.
Senator Hagel told Secretary Rice, "Madame Secretary, Iraqis are killing Iraqis. We are in a civil war. This is sectarian violence out of control."
She disputed that Iraq was in the throes of a civil war. To that, Hagel said, "To sit there and say that, that's just not true."
Democrat Senator Bill Nelson noted his own past support for the administration on the war. "I cannot continue to support the administration's position," he said. "I have not been told the truth over and over again by administration witnesses, and the American people have not been told the truth."
Meanwhile, a poll conducted by AP-Ipsos found approval for Bush's handling of Iraq hovering near a record low with only 29 per cent of Americans in approval with 68 per cent disapproving.