Congressional Republicans railed against President Bush's decision to increase troop strength in Iraq during a debate last night.
"We've had four other surges since we first went into Iraq," said Senator Susan Collins, referring to the administration's plan to send an additional 21,500 troops. "None of them produced a long-lasting change in the situation on the ground.
"So I am very sceptical that this surge would produce the desired outcome," said the Maine Republican.
In the Senate, Ms Collins joined two Republicans and one Democrat to unveil legislation expressing disagreement with Mr Bush's plan. The president should consider "all options and alternatives" involving a smaller force, the measure said.
In the House, members of the leadership drafted a series of what they called "strategic benchmarks," and said the White House should submit monthly reports to Congress measuring progress.
Both the Senate legislation and the action taken by the House Republican leaders are softer than the legislation that majority Democrats intend to place for a vote. But they also represent a more forceful response to the war than the GOP offered while it held the majority in Congress.
The developments came on the eve of Mr Bush's State of the Union address, and as Democrats pointed toward votes in the House and Senate on bills declaring that the troop increase is "not in the national interest of the United States".
Republicans have struggled to respond in the two weeks since Mr Bush outlined his new strategy. Although aware that the war played a role in the GOP defeat in last fall's elections, most have been unwilling to abandon a president of their own party.
AP