Bush: 'We're not winning' in Iraq

But doesn't say U.S. is losing; plans to expand military

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, who has contended that the U.S. was winning the war in Iraq, said Tuesday for the first time that American forces were not winning there. He also said the military would be expanded to fight a long-term battle against terrorism.

Bush did not say the U.S. was losing the war, which began in March 2003 and has cost the lives of nearly 3,000 troops. Instead, when asked during an interview with the Washington Post whether the war was being won, the president borrowed the phrasing of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Peter Pace.

''You know, I think an interesting construct that General Pace uses is, 'We're not winning, we're not losing.' There's been some very positive developments. And you take a step back and look at progress in Iraq, you say, well, it's amazing -- constitutional democracy in the heart of the Middle East, which is a remarkable development in itself,'' he said.

However, Bush also acknowledged the threat of sectarian violence, saying that part of the policy review for Iraq the administration has undertaken will deal with how to help the Iraqis provide for their own security.

''And I'll come forward with a plan that will enable us to achieve that objective,'' he said.

In other remarks Tuesday, Bush said he plans to increase the overall size of the U.S. military, stretched by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he has asked his new defense chief, Robert Gates, to report back to him with a plan to increase ground forces.

The president did not say how many troops might be added, but he said he agreed with officials in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill that the military is stretched too thin.

''I'm inclined to believe that we do need to increase our troops -- the Army, the Marines,'' Bush told the Post.

The White House said Bush's decision about expanding the military was separate from his search for a new approach to the war in Iraq. AP