US: President Bush yesterday touted progress in helping the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Mosul rebuild as he tried to bolster American confidence in his Iraq war policy.
As part of a series of speeches before the December 15th election, Mr Bush highlighted rebuilding of electrical plants, schools, hospitals and businesses despite the insurgency.
The White House has taken the offensive against critics who say the administration does not have a clear strategy for winning in Iraq and that there should be a plan for pulling out the 155,000 US troops there. More than 2,100 US military personnel have been killed since the March 2003 US-led invasion.
In a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Mr Bush cited Mosul and Najaf as examples of cities where reconstruction efforts are progressing.
"Over the course of this war we have learned that winning the battle for Iraqi cities is only the first step. We also have to win the battle after the battle, by helping Iraqis consolidate their gains and keep the terrorists from returning," Mr Bush said.
Construction jobs are putting local residents back to work in Najaf, the hospital is open and elected officials are in charge of the city's government, Mr Bush said. But he said problems remain, such as electrical outages, a shortage of clean water and the persistence of kidnappings.
In Mosul, he said, local Iraqi leaders have upgraded key roads and bridges over the Tigris River, rebuilt schools and hospitals, improved the city's water and sewerage network, and begun refurbishing the airport. But he said Mosul still is not receiving enough electricity and militant intimidation is still a concern. Mr Bush, whose public approval ratings have hit the lowest of his presidency, refuses to set a timetable for a pullout, which some Democrats are demanding, because he says that would only embolden the insurgents.
Democrats say the president needs to produce a clearer plan on Iraq. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, of Nevada; Senator Carl Levin, of Michigan; and Senator Jack Reed, of Rhode Island, wrote Mr Bush a letter expressing their concerns.
"Only by outlining for the American people a full and complete strategy for success with the political, economic and military benchmarks by which to measure the progress and fully and publicly briefing the Congress about this strategy will the troops, their families and the American people truly benefit," the letter said.
Senator Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat, called on Democrats and Republicans to work together.