Democrats challenge assessment of Iraq

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats, including several prospective presidential candidates, charged Thursday that the Bush administration's optimistic assessments on Iraq are not borne out by events on the ground.

Testifying for the administration at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalizad, said the political progress that has been made in Iraq "has created opportunities and put Iraq on the right trajectory."

But Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware complained there was a lack of a coordinated plan to combat violence in Iraq and said Sunni Arab participation in the political process remains marginal.

"If we do not meet these challenges, we risk trading a maniacal dictator for chaos," said Biden, the committee's ranking Democrat.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060713/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq_senate