Analysis: Action on Troops Reshapes Bush’s Debate With Congress

On Tuesday, President Bush insisted to members of an American Legion post in Virginia that Democratic political maneuvering over a war spending measure would force troops in Iraq to remain overseas longer.

“This is unacceptable,” the president said. “It’s unacceptable to me, it’s unacceptable to our veterans, it’s unacceptable to our military families, and it’s unacceptable to many in this country.”

On Wednesday, however, the Pentagon announced that the tours of members of the armed forces serving in Iraq would automatically be extended by three months to accommodate the administration’s push to secure Iraq. That announcement injected a volatile new element into the standoff over war spending, complicating the Republican plan to hold Democrats accountable for any strain on the military.

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