WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is split over the idea of a surge in troops to Iraq, with White House officials aggressively promoting the concept over the unanimous warnings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to U.S. officials familiar with the intense debate.
Sending 15,000 to 30,000 more troops for a mission of possibly six to eight months is one of the central proposals in the White House policy review aimed at reversing the steady deterioration in Iraq. The option is being discussed as an element in a range of bigger packages, the officials said.
But the Joint Chiefs, chaired by Gen. Peter Pace, think the White House, after a month of talks, still does not have a defined mission and is latching on to the surge idea in part because of limited alternatives, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The chiefs have taken a firm stand, the sources say, because they think the strategy review will be the most important decision on Iraq to be made since the March 2003 invasion.
At regular interagency meetings and in briefing President Bush last week, the Pentagon has warned that any short-term mission may only set up the United States for bigger problems when it ends.
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