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WASHINGTON: US President George W. Bush pleaded with wary lawmakers and the US public on Tuesday to give his unpopular Iraq strategy a chance, warning that defeat would let a "contagion of violence" infect the whole Middle East.
"For America, this is a nightmare scenario. For the enemy, this is the objective," he said in his prepared State of the Union speech. "Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq, and I ask you to give it a chance to work."
Bush, his poll numbers at record lows, was to urge a US Congress in the hands of opposition Democrats for the first time since he took office to have patience with his decision to send 21,500 more US soldiers into battle.
"On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. So let us find our resolve, and turn events towards victory," he said in his prepared State of the Union speech.
Bush said that he and the US military commanders looked at "every possible approach" and that "in the end, I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance of success".
Public opinion surveys show nearly two in three Americans oppose the plan and large numbers are gloomy about the prospects for victory in Iraq, even as lawmakers plan to take up measures attacking the new initiative.
Bush tied the events in Iraq directly to the September 11, 2001 terrorist strikes and the global war on terrorism that he declared in response, and warned that a hasty US retreat would be a mighty victory for extremists.
"If American forces step back before Baghdad is secure, the Iraqi government would be overrun by extremists on all sides," he said.
"We could expect an epic battle between Shia extremists backed by Iran, and Sunni extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A contagion of violence could spill out across the country, and in time the entire region could be drawn into the conflict," he said.
Bush acknowledged the dramatic upsurge in sectarian violence and told Americans leery of seeing US troops caught in the crossfire: "This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we are in."
"We are carrying out a new strategy in Iraq, a plan that demands more from Iraq's elected government, and gives our forces in Iraq the reinforcements they need to complete their mission," he said.
"Our goal is a democratic Iraq that upholds the rule of law, respects the rights of its people, provides them security, and is an ally in the war on terror," he said. - AFP/so
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