July 11 (Bloomberg) -- A report to Congress on progress in Iraq will show little movement toward a coalition government in Baghdad, lawmakers said, undercutting Senate Republicans who back President George W. Bush's war strategy.

``The bad news is that the Maliki government, in my opinion, is paralyzed, and the ultimate solution to Iraq's problem is political reconciliation,'' said Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and supporter of the war.

A report from the Bush administration, due July 15, will say the Iraqi government ``has not performed on the level that we hoped it would, so this is a big problem,'' said Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, a Republican who has backed Bush's war policy.

``Right now we are uncertain what the right strategy is -- at least I am,'' Sessions said after a closed-door meeting of Republican senators in the U.S. Capitol yesterday.

Senate Democrats continued trying to put Bush and Republicans on the defensive over the war today by forcing votes on proposals dealing with redeploying U.S. troops that would be attached to a $648.8 billion defense authorization measure.

Most Republicans in the Senate so far have supported Bush's decision in January to add U.S. combat troops in Iraq. That unity cracked in recent weeks as at least four Republicans said a change in strategy is needed now.

The report on Iraq, prepared by the National Security Council, will be sent to lawmakers by July 13, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said today. Progress in Iraq is ``mixed at this point,'' Fratto told reporters in Washington.

Combat Troops

The Senate today rejected a proposal to give military personnel more time between combat tours. The vote on the measure was 56-41, four short of the 60 needed to move to a final vote.

Seven Republicans, including six who are up for election next year, broke from their party and voted in favor of the amendment. Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Gordon Smith of Oregon and Virginia's John Warner were the only Republican supporters.

Senators approved an amendment, 97-0, offered by independent Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, which demands that Iran stop supporting attacks on American soldiers in Iraq. The proposal, which explicitly doesn't authorize the use of force against Iran, mandates a report every 60 days on Iran's anti- coalition activity in Iraq.

The Senate fell eight votes short of the needed 60 votes on an amendment by Hagel to limit the length of combat deployments for Army troops to one year. A similar non-binding measure that would set a goal of deployments of no more than 15 months, fell 19 votes short of the 60 needed to pass.

Withdrawal

A vote on a proposal by Democratic Senators Carl Levin of Michigan and Jack Reed of Rhode Island to require troop withdrawals may be pushed into next week as the Senate bogged down in its procedural fight.

Under Senate rules, the Levin-Reed amendment needs 60 votes to pass, a margin Levin said was not expected in the Senate, which is controlled 51-49 by Democrats.

``The Senate Republicans look around at the number of senators on their side of the aisle who have second thoughts about this administration's policy and they're very worried,'' said Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat.

U.S. Mission

Levin and Reed's amendment would narrow the U.S. mission in Iraq to protecting U.S. personnel and infrastructure, training and equipping Iraqis, and counterterrorism. U.S. forces would be required to ``transition'' by April 30, 2008.

While Levin's proposal isn't likely to draw more than a few Republican votes now, the lack of political progress in Iraq is pushing more Republicans to reevaluate, senators said.

``If there isn't 60 votes, I can assure you in September there will be,'' said Senator Olympia Snowe, a Maine Republican.

``Given the fact that the Iraqi government isn't prepared to change its own political direction, we should be prepared to change course with respect to our strategy,'' Snowe said.

Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke with Republican lawmakers, asking them to hold the line against Democrats' demands for a withdrawal.

Senators yesterday began to coalesce around alternatives to the Democrats' withdrawal timeline.

Two Republican senators who have been critical of the troop increase recently, Warner and Richard Lugar of Indiana, are developing an alternative proposal they plan to unveil after Bush delivers the interim report.

``We're going to wait for the president,'' Warner said.

The report shows a ``goose egg'' on political progress in Iraq, according to those who've seen advance copies, said Warner spokesman John Ullyot.

Draw Support

Warner and Lugar are likely to draw support from the growing number of Republicans who are unhappy with the troop- increase strategy but aren't ready to side with Democrats.

``The Democratic plan of withdrawal, leaving Iraq, we clearly feel would be a disaster,'' said Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota, who nevertheless called for a change in policy.

Coleman, Sununu and Collins are among Republicans leaning toward a proposal by Tennessee Republican Senator Lamar Alexander and Colorado Democratic Senator Ken Salazar that would implement recommendations of the Iraq Study Group.

``My goal is to redefine the mission and set the stage for a significant but gradual drawdown of our troops next year,'' Collins said.

United Nations

Hagel, who has been critical of Bush's conduct of the war, introduced an amendment yesterday that would require the U.S. to seek United Nations mediation of the civil strife in Iraq while engaging regional Middle East powers in diplomacy as U.S. troops withdraw.

In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said that chamber would vote later this week on a measure to begin withdrawal of U.S. troops within 120 days of passage and require complete redeployment by April 1, 2008.

House Republican Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri said he was confident most Republicans will show patience with Bush's plan until General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, reports back in September.

``I think our members are going to give the surge an opportunity to work,'' Blunt said.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Roberts in Washington at wroberts@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 11, 2007 19:31 EDT