Iraq strategy shift 'entirely possible'

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Military progress and a political impasse in Iraq make a different direction for U.S. strategy "entirely possible," the Senate's Republican leader said Sunday.

Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, is to update Congress and President George Bush in September. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on "Fox News Sunday" he thinks "it's entirely possible that the president will lay out a strategy that takes us into a different place" regarding troop deployment.

He said he didn't want to presume what Bush might recommend after the military briefing.

Commenting on recent reports of GOP members seemingly distancing themselves from the president's strategy, McConnell said, "I think a lot of our members would be surprised if there was not some level of draw-down over the next coming months."

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said the troop surge initiated earlier this year "cannot be maintained" for another year.

"The recent National Intelligence Estimate indicated U.S. troops are making progress, but "unfortunately that progress is highly reversible," Reed said. "(because) there's been no political buy-in by the Iraqi political leadership"