This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

WASHINGTON - Utah's senators, insisting failure in Iraq is unacceptable, are backing key components of President Bush's overhauled Iraq strategy, including a plan to add up to 20,000 new troops beginning as early as the end of the month.

"This appears to be the best way to move in this situation and we'll wait and see if it produces success," said Sen. Bob Bennett.

Bennett and Sen. Orrin Hatch attended a White House briefing Monday, when Bush sketched out his revised Iraq plan for Republican senators.

The president will outline the new strategy in a nationally televised speech tonight.

"It's an intelligent approach to getting this kind of tyranny under control," Hatch said. "Retreat is not an option. . . . If we walk out of there without completing our mission, Iraq is a breeding ground for al-Qaida."

The Associated Press, citing an unnamed senior Pentagon official, said the first of the new troops that Bush would be calling for could be deployed this month. There are about 132,000 service members currently on the ground in Iraq.

"I'm not going to second-guess the military. I'm not going to second-guess the intelligence," Hatch said. "If they say it's essential, I'm not going to second-guess that."

In the fall, however, Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, told the Senate Armed Services Committee he had met with Gen. George Casey, commander of the multinational forces, and other commanders to address the troop surge question, and got little support for the idea. "I said, in your professional opinion, if we were to bring in more American troops now, does it add considerably to our ability to achieve success in Iraq? And they all said no," Abizaid told the committee.

Hatch said he wasn't aware of the general's statement. Last week, Bush announced he was replacing Abizaid and Casey, a move the Pentagon said was routine.

The planned troop increase would come from speeding up deployment of forces already scheduled to go to the country and keeping those in Iraq there longer, the AP reported, citing the defense official.

A poll by The Salt Lake Tribune conducted last week showed that Bush has lost majority support on Iraq from Utahns. Just 41 percent approve of the president's handling of the war, with 45 percent opposed.

Utahns were split on the question of a short-term increase in U.S. troops in Iraq, with 44 percent in support and 42 percent opposed.

A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found three of four Americans disapproved of how Bush has handled the situation and only 17 percent called for an increase in U.S. forces in Iraq.

White House spokesman Tony Snow acknowledged the importance of the president's speech in reviving lagging public support for the war.

"The president will not shape policy according to public opinion, but he does understand that it's important to bring the public back to this war and restore public confidence and support for the mission," Snow said.

Bennett said the president gave senators a broad overview, without numbers or timetables, of a plan Bush said was proposed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, "which is where it's going to have to come from if it's going to work."

"I believe it's certainly worth trying because, again, you make these decisions, not in a vacuum but on the basis of alternatives," Bennett said. "The president did make clear that he had considered simply withdrawing. . . . He had everything on the table. But you look at what that would cost in the long term and say, 'We don't want to pay that price yet, until we're absolutely sure nothing else would work.' He's not there yet and neither is the Iraqi government.''

Hatch said the new Bush plan also puts significant demands on the Iraqi government to "start participating in the cleanup of the insurgencies and that they put up some substantial money."

Bennett said the Iraqis would be asked to put $11 billion into counter-insurgency efforts.

Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., blasted the proposal to put new troops into the "caldron of a civil war that can only be resolved by the people of Iraq." He is proposing legislation that would require Congress to consider the deployment of any additional troops and that would prohibit funding for those troops if permission isn't given.

"This bill will give all Americans . . . an opportunity to hold the president accountable for his actions," Kennedy said.

Hatch said be thinks Democrats' options for blocking a surge are limited, since the president controls military operations and Congress manages the money.

"I don't think they would deny our president or our troops the funds to do this," he said. "I don't think there are many Democrats willing to do that."

Highlights of expected Bush strategy for Iraq

* Deploy as many as 20,000 more U.S. soldiers to quell violence in Baghdad.

* Support Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's plan for a joint Iraq-U.S. force to confront armed sectarian militias.

* Deploy combined civilian-military teams immediately after clearing neighborhoods of militias or insurgents.

* Require Iraq to invest $11 billion in security measures.

* President Bush's speech will be aired

on major television networks at 7 tonight.

Source: The Washington Post and other news reports