Leaders of Iraq panel defend their call for diplomatic push

WASHINGTON -- Leaders of a bipartisan panel on Iraq sought to deflect criticism yesterday that their new war strategy endorses defeat, saying the Bush administration must push Mideast diplomacy or face "major-league problems."

In appearances on talk shows yesterday, Republican James A. Baker III and Lee Hamilton, a Democrat and former congressman, shot back at some Republican critics who had denounced the bipartisan panel's proposals as a "recipe for retreat."

"We're not going to win this war militarily; we're going to win it politically," said Baker , who was secretary of state under the first President Bush . "There must be a political reconciliation among the warring factions in Iraq or we're going to continue to have major-league problems."

"It's no answer to say just because it's tough we don't do it," Baker said.

Their comments came amid renewed criticism yesterday from some in the Middle East who have rejected the group's call for concessions with Syria.

President Jalal Talabani of Iraq harshly criticized the bipartisan report as "very dangerous," saying it would undermine Iraq's sovereignty because it could allow thousands of officials from Saddam Hussein's ousted party to return to their jobs.

Bush has already been publicly cool to the panel's key proposals -- which seek direct engagement with Iran and Syria and a pullback of all American combat brigades by early 2008 -- and has suggested the Baker-Hamilton plan falls short of a full victory.

Today, Bush goes to the State Department for a presentation on diplomatic and political options, and then meets in the Oval Office with independent Iraq experts. Tomorrow, the president confers in a video conference with senior military commanders and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the top US diplomat in Iraq. On Wednesday, he meets with senior defense officials at the Pentagon.

As part of his discussions, Bush is said to be considering alternative proposals such as a short-term increase of troops to secure Baghdad, scaling back the military mission to focus almost exclusively on hunting Al Qaeda terrorists, and a new strategy of outreach to all of Iraq's factions.

Baker and Hamilton appeared yesterday on ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN. They acknowledged that their plan seeks to conclude the war but said it also supports Bush's goal of an Iraq government that can defend and sustain itself.

"It all depends on what you mean by victory," Hamilton said. "What we're saying in this report is we want to conclude this war. . . . We do not want American forces involved in sectarian clashes and violence. That's not our business."

Hamilton also said that the proposal supported by Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, to boost combat troops temporarily was unsustainable.