Senator Richard Lugar (Indiana), the top Republican in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said "the costs and risks of continuing down the current path outweigh the potential benefits."
"Persisting indefinitely with the surge strategy will delay policy adjustments that have a better chance of protecting our vital interests over the long term," Lugar said in a June 25 Senate floor speech.
Media reports say Lugar's blunt assessment came as a surprise as most Republicans have said they are willing to wait until September to see if Bush's recently ordered troop buildup in Iraq is working.
(AP, AFP)
Iraqi Insurgent Media
GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT. RFE/RL analysts Daniel Kimmage and Kathleen Ridolfo have produced a book-length study on the media efforts of the insurgency in Iraq and on how global jihadists are exploiting those efforts to spread their destructive message around the world....(more)
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THE COMPLETE STORY: RFE/RL's complete coverage of events in Iraq and that country's ongoing transition.
