WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 — Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee came to the defense of President Bush on Friday, lending support to his decision to send more troops to Iraq and hoping to head off a Senate resolution criticizing the plan.
In contrast to the bipartisan barrage of criticism a day earlier by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republicans on the armed services panel with few exceptions portrayed the troop increase as a risky but necessary move to regain control of Baghdad, and they portrayed Democrats as lacking the will to see the war through to victory.
“To my colleagues, I would ask, at least in the short term here, that we measure our words, that we not have a political stampede to declare the war lost when it’s not yet lost, or to embrace strategies that would lead to defeat,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina.
But the public show of support for the White House plan masked deep concern about sending additional troops among some Republicans and outright opposition among others. Senate Democrats are preparing a nonbinding resolution opposing the plan that Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who is chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said might attract enough Republican votes to overcome parliamentary hurdles and pass if Democrats bring it to a vote.
President Bush gave a  for the Iraq War. His plan involves sending 21,500 more troops into Iraq. He and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have sent benchmarks for the Iraqi government to accomplish. These benchmarks include increasing the Iraqi Army's size and appointing a head general of the army and two deputy generals. The increase in troops would be used to occupy areas after they have been cleared from insurgents.

Republicans on the Armed Services Committee voiced support for the plan. “To my colleagues, I would ask, at least in the short term here, that we measure our words, that we not... declare the war lost when it’s not yet lost," said Senator Lindsey Graham "or to embrace strategies that would lead to defeat.”