By Prensa Latina
Washington : Democrat congressional leaders called on President George W. Bush to change his strategy in Iraq to repair damage caused to US security, increase social spending and improve infrastructure.
In a letter sent to the president, opposition leaders consider that the current White House project has no viable way out.
They recall that war forces expenditures of billions of dollars that could be used for the health and education systems and to improve domestic infrastructure.
This strategy is neither sustainable nor it helps our national security or economic interests, they added. The letter was signed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi and majority democrat leaders, Steny Hoyer as well as Harry Reid in the Senate.
The demand was made days before the scheduled appearance before Congress of the head of the Pentagon troops in Iraq, general David Petraeus, and US ambassador to that country, Ryan Crocker Since the democrats achieved control of Congress in November of 2006 they have tried unsuccessfully to approve amendments to limit the conflict.
CNN informed on Friday that the democrats are skeptical over the last US intelligence report about an alleged improvement in the situation that included recent reports of espionage in the country over political and military scenarios in Iraq.
Two Congressional democrat aides quoted by CNN expressed concern about the text that they consider superficial and favorable to the Bush government.
The officials, who preferred anonymity, pointed out that the reports fail to include recent events in Iraq where strong fighting occurred in several cities between the Chiite militia and the Iraqi army resulting in hundreds of deaths.