US:Two of George Bush's staunchest supporters on Iraq have broken ranks and declared the administration's strategy a failure, adding that the United States should start withdrawing troops.
Indiana senator Richard Lugar, the senior Republican on the foreign relations committee, told the senate that the US should reduce the military's role in Iraq and called on the president to pursue other diplomatic and economic initiatives instead.
"In my judgment, the costs and risks of continuing down the current path outweigh the potential benefits that might be achieved. Persisting indefinitely with the surge strategy will delay policy adjustments that have a better chance of protecting our vital interests over the long term," he said.
Ohio's George Voinovich yesterday echoed Mr Lugar's remarks, adding that it was important to find out if the administration is listening to different views on Iraq. "If they're not, I think that many of us are going to look at legislation that will limit the number of troops," he said.
Mr Voinovich said he was writing to the president with a proposal to reduce US troops and encourage neighbouring Arab countries and the Iraqis themselves to take more responsibility for Iraq's security.
"It's in their best interest to become part of the solution instead of sitting on the sidelines. I don't think they'll get it until they know we're leaving," he said.
Mr Lugar said that a gradual withdrawal of US troops from Iraq should begin immediately and that the deployment of additional troops to Iraq was unlikely to produce positive results by September, when a report by Gen David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, is due.
Many Republicans are unhappy with progress in Iraq but most have agreed to wait until September's report before urging a change of strategy. Mr Lugar said, however, that it was important to discuss alternative options before the campaign for next year's congressional and presidential elections heats up.
"The purpose of giving this speech now is that we are in a quiet period when we are not forced to extreme debates and there can be consensus building," he said.
A number of Republican senators welcomed Mr Lugar's intervention. Virginia's John Warner said that many agreed that September was too long to wait before discussing a new strategy for Iraq.