Iraqi government is on "borrowed time," Rice says 1 hour, 31 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice suggested on Thursday that the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was running out of time to restore security in Iraq but repeated her confidence in him.
"I have met Prime Minister Maliki. ... I saw his resolve. "I think he knows that his government is, in a sense, on borrowed time, not just in terms of the American people but in terms of the Iraqi people," Rice told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Her remarks came at a hearing where she testified about President George W. Bush's plan to send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq. The plan was sharply criticized by many Democrats and Republicans at the hearing.
Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record) said the plan, unveiled in a speech on Wednesday night, was a major mistake.
"I think this speech given last night by this president represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam if it's carried out," said Hagel, a possible U.S. 2008 presidential candidate.
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Hagel.....The Anti-McCain. |
