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Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush said Tuesday that he plans to expand the size of the U.S. military to meet the challenges of "a long-term global war against terrorists."

In an interview with The Washington Post at the White House, Bush said it was a response to warnings that sustained deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the armed forces to near the breaking point.

He said he has instructed newly sworn-in Defense Secretary Robert Gates to report back to him with a plan to increase ground forces.

The president gave no estimates about how many troops may be added but indicated that he agreed with suggestions in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill that the current military is stretched too thin to cope with the demands placed on it.

The decision comes at a time when he is rethinking his strategy in Iraq and considering, among other options, a short-term surge in troop levels to try to secure violence-torn Baghdad.

In describing his decision, Bush tied it to the broader struggle against extremists around the world rather than Iraq specifically.

"It is an accurate reflection that this ideological war we're in is going to last for a while and that we're going to need a military that's capable of being able to sustain our efforts and to help us achieve peace," he said.

Bush said he has not yet made a decision about a new strategy for Iraq and would wait for Gates to make a trip to Iraq to assess the situation for himself.

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.

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.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said at the daily briefing that a short-term boost in troop strength is among a number of ideas that U.S. President George W. Bush is looking at.

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.

Support for the nearly-four-year-long war fell to a new low of 31 percent, while a record 67 percent voiced opposition, according to the poll conducted Friday through Sunday.