WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Bush administration is split over the idea for a surge in troops to Iraq, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

    White House officials are aggressively promoting the concept over the unanimous disagreement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the report quoted U.S. officials familiar with the intense debate as saying.

    Sending 15,000 to 30,000 more troops for a mission of possibly six to eight months is one of the central proposals on the table as the White House reviews its policy and attempts to reverse the steady deterioration in Iraq.

    However, the Joint Chiefs think the White House, after a month of talks, still does not have a defined mission and is latching onto the surge idea in part because of limited alternatives.

    The chiefs have taken a firm stand, as they believe 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 U.S. President George W. 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.

    The concerns raised by the military are sometimes offset by concerns on the other side.

    For instance, those who warn that a short-term surge would harm longer-term deployments are met with the argument that the situation is urgent now.

    Which way Bush is leaning remains unclear.

    "The president's keeping his cards pretty close to his vest... and I think people may be trying to interpret questions he's asking and information he's asking for as signs that he's made up his mind," said a senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

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    White House denies internal rift over Iraq policy

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Tuesday acknowledged that it's considering a temporary surge of U.S. troops in Iraq, but denied a split with the Joint Chiefs of Staff over the idea.

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    CNN poll: U.S. public support for Iraq war falls to new low

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Fewer than a third of Americans still support the war in Iraq, and more than half say they want U.S. troops out of the country within a year, according to a CNN poll released on Tuesday.

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    Outgoing UN chief says Iraq war is worst moment in tenure

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (L Back) answers questions during his final press conference at the United Nations in New York, Dec. 19, 2006. (Xinhua Photo/Zhao Peng) Photo Gallery >>>

    UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that the failure to stop the Iraq war was the worst moment of his 10 years in office.

    "I think the worst moment was the Iraq war which as an organization we couldn't stop and I really did everything I can to try to see if we could stop it," he said at his last press conference when asked about his top achievements and worst moments in his tenure. Full story>>