Lawmakers brace for showdown with Bush over Iraq

additional US military forces.

“Adding more combat troops will only endanger more Americans and stretch our military to the breaking point for no strategic gain,” they wrote.

Republicans have expressed tepid support for adding fresh US forces in Iraq, with several lawmakers from Bush’s party opposing the president’s plan outright.

One surprisingly harsh Republican critic, Senator Gordon Smith (news, bio, voting record), said Tuesday that boosting US forces in Iraq would merely extend what has been a failed US policy there.