KEY POINTS:
WASHINGTON - The White House strove yesterday to prevent a Republican mutiny on Capitol Hill from engulfing President George W. Bush's bitterly contested decision to send 21,500 more US troops to Iraq.
Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney weighed in against their Democratic critics, challenging them to come up with something better.
"To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible," Bush said. His deputy followed: "They have absolutely nothing to offer in its place. I have yet to hear a coherent policy from the Democratic side.
"If the United States doesn't have the stomach to finish the task in Iraq, we put at risk what we've done" - confirming the belief of al Qaeda that the US could be driven from the Middle East.
The most important arm-twisting was at Camp David. Bush invited Republican Congressional leaders to the presidential retreat in a bid to rally support and dissuade members of his own party from breaking ranks with a "lame duck" leader, whose approval ratings languish at 35 per cent or less.
The Administration is deeply worried how non-binding resolutions opposing the troop build-up, likely to be voted upon in both Senate and House of Representatives in the next few weeks, could erode its authority and credibility.
Majority Democrats are already working on texts designed to attract maximum Republican support. If they succeed, it will be seen as further proof that Bush has lost control of the Capitol Hill wing of his party.
- INDEPENDENT
