Bush Seeks Deal with Congress on Iraq

President wants to avoid nasty floor fight on post-surge strategy
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 25, 2007 3:01 PM CDT
Bush Seeks Deal with Congress on Iraq
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., right, listens as President Bush speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington Wednesday, May 2, 2007, on during his meeting with congressional leaders regarding a new bill to fund the war in Iraq. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)   (Associated Press)

President Bush has quietly dispatched top officials to work with lawmakers who've defected on the war in Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reports. With support of the war plummeting, the goal is a revised war plan that could avoid bruising battles as  the mixed results of the troop surge come in over the next few months.

The new strategy would likely include decentralizing the Iraq government and fast-tracking a supporting role for American troops. Senator Joe Biden, a candidate for the Democratic nomination, has assembled a bipartisan bloc to back a resolution supporting the so-called federal plan. But any larger deal on Iraq still faces long odds: the president says he will oppose a drawdown until Iraq is more stable. (More Joe Biden stories.)

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