Key Republican questions Iraq strategy

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WASHINGTON - A prominent Republican on Tuesday said he remains deeply skeptical of the U.S. war strategy in Iraq, comparing the long and bloody military campaign to a farmer risking his savings to plant on a flood plain.

"In my judgment, some type of success in Iraq is possible, but as policymakers, we should acknowledge that we are facing extraordinarily narrow margins for achieving our goals," Sen. Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the top U.S. military commander and the American ambassador there.

Lugar, R-Ind., has called for a sizable drawdown in coming months, a plan that runs counter to Gen. David Petreaus' recommendation. Petreaus says the United States should withdraw the 30,000 extra troops deployed earlier this year, but maintain the approximately 130,000 troops — who would be left there — at least through next summer.

"The surge (in military troops) must not be an excuse for failing to prepare for the next phase of our involvement in Iraq, whether that is partial withdrawal, a gradual redeployment or some other option," Lugar said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070911/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq_216

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Lugar has become grumpy over this disaster