WASHINGTON — President Bush spent hours Tuesday practicing in front of cameras, preparing to make his case for increasing the U.S. military commitment in Iraq in a prime-time address to the nation tonight, even as congressional Democrats readied legislation to block any increase in the number of troops.
Members of Congress who met with Bush said he appeared to understand that, after years of upbeat rhetoric and positive assessments that belied a lack of progress inside the country, his credibility was on the line.
"He told us what he planned to say tomorrow," said Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice), one of about a dozen House members who met with the president and his top advisors for more than an hour Tuesday afternoon. "In terms of tough moments in his presidency, this is it."
Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the Senate's second-ranking Republican, said both Republicans and Democrats would be listening for a note of contrition in the president's voice.
"As important as what he says is how he says it," Lott told reporters.
Lawmakers who have met with Bush this week say he intends to ask for about 20,000 additional troops to shift the strategy in Iraq toward ending sectarian violence and increasing security on the ground for Iraqi civilians in restive areas. According to the lawmakers, the troubled Iraqi government has agreed to meet benchmarks of political progress as a condition of the troop increase.
Supporters of the strategy say a decrease in violence will foster political reconciliation between Iraqi factions. Detractors say a "surge" in troops is just another term for "escalation."
"His speech is going to clearly show that he is calling for an escalation in Iraq," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters.
In the White House meeting, Bush gave a rundown of the speech to House Democrats, who gave him a tepid response. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said no lawmaker in his meeting supported the new policy.
"We were more in a question-and-answer mode, but a fair amount of skepticism was voiced," Smith said.
"It was not a confrontational meeting," said Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Alamo), who said she emphasized the importance of the Iraqi government making political progress. "I think he understands that, at some level, this is the last best chance."
"I said a surge in troops was a good idea three years ago -- but not now," Harman said. "Other strategies -- political and diplomatic -- right now are more critical."
