President Bush has vowed to move forward with his plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq, despite bipartisan congressional objection and a lack of public support.
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Mr. Bush said in his weekly radio address Saturday that only the Iraqis can end sectarian violence and provide security for their country. But he said they need the help of the United States.
The president said the United States will help the Iraqis execute what he called an "aggressive" plan to secure Baghdad and troubled Anbar province - where the worst sectarian violence is occurring. He said both of these goals will be accomplished by providing additional US troops.
Mr. Bush challenged those who have criticized his plan for additional troops to come up with their own alternative strategy.
Democrats and an increasing number of Republicans say that sending more troops to Iraq only compounds a bad situation. Recent public opinion polls show a majority of Americans do not want the president to order more troops to Iraq.
In the Democratic response to Mr. Bush's speech, Representative Tim Walz of Minnesota said it is the responsibility of Democrats to question the president's strategy in Iraq. He went on to say that Democrats will ask the tough questions to make sure that the president's plan is not compounding or escalating the current situation in Iraq.