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By WILLIAM C. MANN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush has lost control of Iraq policy because of infighting among administration officials, the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Sunday.
The administration also came under criticism from Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry for being unwilling to create a real international coalition and alienating governments everywhere. "This is haphazard, shotgun, shoot-from-the-hip diplomacy," the Massachusetts senator said.
The committee leaders urged Bush to take charge of U.S. postwar policy in Iraq.
"The president has to be the president, over the vice president and over these secretaries," the chairman, Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Added the committee's top Democrat, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware: "There's no clear articulation within this administration of what the goals, what the message is, what the plan is. You have this significant division within the administration between the Powells and the Rumsfelds."
Since early in the administration, Secretary of State Colin Powell has counseled a generally more moderate line than Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Even before the Iraq war in the spring, tales of tension and turf battles between their departments were widespread.
Asked what he would tell Bush were the two to meet alone in the White House, Biden said: "I would say, `Mr. President, take charge. Take charge. Settle this dispute.'"
Biden said Bush should tell Powell, Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney: "This is my policy. Any one of you that divert from the policy is off the team."
Lugar also predicted American forces might have to be in Iraq in some capacity for eight years or more. Both he and Biden said the country's recovery would cost at least $50 billion more than the $87 billion, including more than $20 billion for the recovery, that Bush has requested and is pending in Congress.
Both Biden and Lugar mentioned Cheney's speech last week, presented as a part of an "information offensive" by the administration to counter what it sees as unnecessarily negative media reports about the Iraq postwar situation.
Lugar called it "very, very tough and strident." Biden said Cheney's desire, shared by Rumsfeld, is "to undermine international institutions because they feel it's a drag on our capability."
This makes Biden's position as a Democrat who voted for Bush's war plan frustrating, "the most frustrating time in my career."
The vote was correct, Biden said, because war was necessary to depose Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "I just did not count on the fact that it would be handled with such a degree of incompetence subsequent to the — quote — military victory," Biden said.
Bush declared major combat finished on in his May 1 talk aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
Kerry, appearing on ABC's "This Week," said Bush and Cheney should apologize to Americans "for having misled America, for not having kept his promises of working adequately within the international community, not having built a legitimate international coalition, not having exhausted the process of the inspections.
"And, most importantly, not having gone to war as a matter of last resort, which is what he promised to America."
The senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, also accused Bush of misleading the country about the war.
"We did not go to war to bring democracy and prosperity and peace to Iraq," Rockefeller told "Fox News Sunday."
"It was all about weapons of mass destruction and the imminent threat of America getting attacked. And what's ironic is that, in spite of the incredible job that our soldiers and Guard and the Reserve have done, we really are in more peril today than we were at the end of the formal part of the war."
"What we have not done is prosecuted the postwar era with any skill at all."

Hang the authors for treason! Surely the threat mentioned in the last line cannot be greater now! Surely the situation in Iraq right now is being managed well? Surely there is no need for a legitimate recovery plan? WMDs? Come on. Two people here have told you they don't give two monkeys about that, that's not the important thing here! This war had nothing to do with WMDs I've heard it said.

I'm a new convert you see. All I read here must be false. If it's on the news well then it's biased news. If it's from a politicians mouth they must be socialists.

Get a grip you anti-American

j/k!

In a previous thread you mentioned that at least one good thing evolved from the war: "the marshlands project". I call it this way to make things simple for our beloved readers.

With all due respect I think compared with the ecological disaster of a war (just think of the pollution that only a sole missile causes) it is cynical to mention it at all.

I think you know better than all of us what the whole bombing and the burning of the oil fields causes to the environment.

And in my opinion this is another crime that George Dabbljuh loaded onto his conscience (if he has one at all).

How much better would all the money the war and its consequences costs have been spent on helping the environment. But a country who refused to sign the Kyoto protocol can not be expected to consider such projects anyway.

You pollute the planet with your wars and your industry and make not even the slightest try to do something against it. And the whole world has to bear the consequences.

At least you get a dose of your own medicine by the increasing number and power of the hurricans and floods.
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Beware of Commies and Mutts!

LOL! What consequences are you "bearing" Stoeckl? You said the whole world is suffering the consequences, that means you too. So please share with us exactly what they are. Exactly how much pollution DOES a sole missile cause Herman? Obviously you know or you wouldn't have mentioned it. Would it cause as much pollution as the end result of the Bio Labs your country sold the terrorists who would have used that technology to wipe out hundreds of thousands of innocent people and pollute the soils of the earth? And just what "ecological disaster" are you referring to. We hit targets with pin-point accuracy and used less weaponry than any war in history. Also what do you base your weather systems theory on? What do you know about weather and where are these disastrous storms you are referring to? Do you have any idea what you're talking about? Ah what the heck. I know you'll dodge most if not all of these topics. Get a grip!

The point I was making Hermann was that some good things will inevitably come from this war. The eradication of Saddam from power is undoubtedly a good thing. And the "marshlands" project was simply something that caught my eye. I still think it was wrong and I hope you detect the sarcasm in my last post!

I agree with you that there is a massive environmental disaster in Iraq. However, I cannot say that everything to do with this war is wrong. I have repeatedly stated that I try to remain objective. I don't think my post was in any way cynical. Ecologically speaking, one can never talk of "total" disaster. You chop down rainforest and previously rare species that inhabit naturally occurring forest gaps become common. Phyllomedusa bicolor is a great example of this.

Thank you for your clarification. I also agree with you that it is a good thing that Saddam has been removed from power. But I think the disadvantages can not outweigh the advantages.

Maybe I am wrong, only time can tell. Nevertheless the reasons for this war Bush told to the public were phony. And that is what I find most disturbing.

By the way, I would not exclude that we only saw the start of a large campaign where the U.S. and Israel are involved. I read in the newspaper today that Israel is up to bomb nuclear plants in Iran and that Bush will enhance the efforts to remove Fidel Castro from power.

As a last note, I find it funny that some people here questioned the effects of the U.S. industry (actually the industry in general) on the global warming (and the connected side-effects like the increasing power and appearence of hurricans and a higher number of floods).

Next time they will demand a proof that the snow is white.
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Beware of Commies and Mutts!

This statement sums you up Stoeckl! You are wrong, you have been wrong, and you will always be wrong, because you have made up your mind that the US is in Iraq only for reasons that suit your anti-American agenda. On the contrary, those of us here, who have been disproving your every idiotic comments, will always be right because we are simply recognizing the facts for what they are. Keep trying to turn facts into mush. It's fun to watch you make a bumbling fool of yourself! Thank you Stoeckl!

Devin Price

i guess bush killed all those french people with his super secret heat wave gun too huh?

do you drive a car during the day, and does it run on fuel? everyone is screwing up the enviroment not just the US go to japan, or better yet some of the over populated cities all over Europe, and asia. come on know lets get real. all the gas saddam was using on his people, that helped the ozone huh? yes the marshlands project is a great thing, but oh wait, some people getting back to there heritage would be a good thing and you oppose all that is good here huh.

froggy
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The next time the shuttle lands, lets all get dressed up in ape suits and charge at the astronaughts yelling and ranting. That way they can try to figure out where they took a wrong turn.

Yeah you're right Herpco. Freeing those people to give them a better life, getting rid of two A-holes who are a major threat to world peace and crippling terrorism don't compare in importance to finding WMD, which is the most important thing in your narrow mind, aside from the marshlands of course. Screw the Iraqis, just save those marshlands. Right herpco?

Maybe the WMD are hidden in the "marshlands of Southern IraQ! How silly of Bush not to look there!

Devin P.

God you may be right, maybe that's why they are flooding the area. They'll never find them then! Wow you're So clever!

LMAO! You are so clueless. Talk about blindly following people. Of course the democrats are bashing the adminastration. They want Bush out of office so they can get themselves or their buddies in. DUH-UH! Any chance you're gonna' answer my questions chicken boy? You know the ones that I answered for you but you keep avoiding like the plague. What do you do for a living and why did you ask about minorities. Are you a minority? And why won't you sign your posts?

Chris Kennard

Keep trying to turn a positive into a negative Fred. Don't forget that the "international community" is another name for France" & Germany". These are countries that want to sabotage Bush's efforts every chance they get, just like Fred Albury.

Devin P.