Is US force too small? Not in Bush view of Iraq

Critics of administration call for more troops, but polls show a reluctant public.

By Faye Bowers | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

WASHINGTON – The question is hitting the White House with increasing ferocity: Does the US have enough troops in Iraq to do the job - let alone enough to carry out the global war on terrorism?

A growing chorus of experts and politicians is saying no. They claim that not only are more troops needed to avert chaos and restore order in Iraq, but that the overall strength of the US military must be increased to meet global challenges in the post-9/11 era.

Despite the mounting pressure, however, the Bush administration believes the US has adequate forces to carry out both tasks. The wildcard in all of this: the public. As the debate over US commitments overseas intensifies, polls show a hardening of American attitudes about the rebuilding effort and about leaving troops in Iraq too long.

A Newsweek poll released this weekend, for instance, shows that a majority of Americans - 55 percent to 40 percent - oppose sending more troops to the country. At the same time, an overwhelming number of Americans favor the US working with the UN to encourage other nations to send more of their soldiers to Iraq - even if it means Washington ceding some authority to the UN.

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