House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, condemned President Bush's speech on progress in Iraq, saying it failed to accurately portray the scope of the problems in the troubled region.

While admitting that the troop "surge" has helped bring stability to the region, Mr. Hoyer called Mr. Bush's speech a "vain effort" to "divert attention from the repeated, egregious misjudgments made by his administration."

"The reality is, rockets continue to rain down on the fortified 'Green Zone,' which houses the U.S. Embassy and Iraqi government offices in Baghdad; Iraq's second largest city, Basra, has fallen into chaos, violence and bloodshed; and car and suicide bombs continue to kill scores of innocent Iraqis almost daily," Mr. Hoyer said in a statement. "More than 4,000 American troops have been killed and 30,000 have been injured, and the costs to the American taxpayer for this war — now in its sixth year — will be well over $1 trillion. Meanwhile, the president counsels the American people to be 'patient,' even as the Iraqis fail to take the steps necessary to achieve political reconciliation.

Mr. Hoyer called for a "diplomatic surge in Iraq" and increased help from the international community.

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times