Bush set for Senate showdown after critical report on Iraq

Dubai: US President George W. Bush warned Congress yesterday that he would veto legislation calling for a withdrawal from Iraq.

Bush was speaking after an interim report criticised Iraq's progress towards meeting goals set by the United States.

There was "cause for optimism" in the report, the president said as he insisted the US mission in Iraq could still succeed, saying it was vital for the security of the US and the Middle East.

"I don't think Congress ought to be running the war," Bush told a White House press conference. "Trying to run a war through resolution is a prescription for failure," he said. "The idea of telling our military how to conduct operations, for example, I don't think it makes sense today, nor do I think it's a good precedent for the future."

The report, which said Iraq had made satisfactory progress towards meeting eight targets, but less so towards another eight, comes amid growing pressure in Congress on the Bush administration to change course in Iraq.

Bush insisted that troops would only be withdrawn when conditions were right, adding that to do so early would risk handing Iraq over to Al Qaida. A crunch could come next week when the Senate is expected to vote on amendments to the military budget, which could force cuts in troop numbers. US Democrats want a timetable for withdrawal or a change in the focus of the US mission from combat to counter-terrorism and the training of Iraqi forces.