More GOP expressing doubt about Iraq strategy
Senate committee vote today on resolution opposing Bush's troop decision

WASHINGTON - One by one, even the most senior Republicans in the Senate are expressing doubts that the administration's new war policy in Iraq will work.

"I am not confident that President Bush's plan will succeed," Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said in advance of a Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote Wednesday on a resolution that opposes the president's decision to send more troops into Iraq.

Lugar, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations committee, planned to reject the resolution - but not before registering his own concerns. He suggested stepped-up oversight, including seeking assurances from the administration that it is planning for the possibility of failure.

"I say to my colleagues that we are selling our powers short with this resolution," he said in prepared remarks.

A growing list
At least eight other Republican senators say they now back legislative proposals condemning Bush's decision to boost U.S. military strength in Iraq by 21,500 troops.

The growing list - which includes Sens. Gordon Smith, George Voinovich and Sam Brownback - has emboldened Democrats, who are pushing for a vote in the full Senate by next week to rebuke the president's Iraq policy.

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