new wave of troops set for iraq

from abc news: The first of up to 20,000 additional U.S. troops will move into Iraq by the end of the month under President Bush's new war plan, a senior defense official said Tuesday. Congressional Democrats scrambled for the best way to challenge an increase they said would simply cause more bloodshed.

Details of a gradual military buildup emerged a day before Bush's planned speech to the nation, in which he is also expected to propose increased economic aid to shore up the shattered country after nearly four years of bloodshed. He is expected to link the troop increase to promised steps by the Iraqi government to build up its own military, ease the country's murderous sectarian tensions, increase reconstruction and enact a plan to distribute oil revenues among the country's religious sects...

Leading the opposition, Sen. Edward Kennedy, a longtime critic, introduced legislation that would deny the president the billions needed to send more troops unless Congress agreed first. It was unclear whether the bill would ever reach the full Senate, but it could serve as a rallying point for critics.