WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush's approach to a cease-fire in the Middle East has been condemned by fellow Republican, Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.
In a Senate floor speech, the second-term senator said Bush should be acting for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, rather than offering the U.N. Security Council a more complex plan.
"The sickening slaughter on both sides must end now," Hagel said. "This madness must stop."
The conflict, now in its third week, is before the Security Council, which is reviewing the U.S. resolution, as well as one from France that calls for an immediate cease-fire and the deployment of international peacekeeping forces along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Hagel is the first Republican to challenge the Bush administration's approach, the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star reported.
Hagel said he doesn't disagree with Bush's ultimate goal of lasting peace, only his strategy of not pressuring Israel to stop its military attacks immediately.
