July 10 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush, confronted by a spreading Republican revolt over his Iraq strategy, said the U.S. still can prevail in the conflict and bring about a stable democracy there.

Six months after he announced his plan to increase the number of U.S. combat troops in Iraq to quell sectarian violence in Baghdad, the president said today that Congress should await a September progress report before taking any action to cut short the U.S. commitment.

``I fully understand that when you watch the violence on TV every night, people are saying, `Is worth it, can we accomplish an objective?''' Bush told the Greater Cleveland Partnership, a business group. ``Yes, we can accomplish this fight and win in Iraq. And secondly, I want to tell you, we must.''

Bush is under pressure from lawmakers in Congress, including some senior Republican senators such as Richard Lugar of Indiana, to retool his strategy with a goal of beginning to withdraw some of the 155,000 U.S. troops. While he argued today there isn't enough evidence in Iraq now to justify a change of course, some members of Congress say it is time for a new plan.

``The tide has turned,'' Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine said yesterday. ``We have to set it in motion,'' she added, speaking of a troop pullout.

No Change

Throughout his remarks to the audience of about 300 people, the president brushed aside any suggestions that he change strategy now and indicated he won't be swayed by defections among his fellow Republicans.

``If we recoil and leave the region, with precipitous withdrawals, or withdrawals not based on conditions on the ground, it's going to get worse, not better,'' Bush said in response to a question from an audience member. ``My attitude is now's the time to do the hard work so your children can more likely grow up in peace.''

Three senators who have been the most vocal supporters of the current strategy, Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and independent Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, reinforced Bush's message of patience on the floor of the Senate today.

Supporters

``The progress our military has made should encourage us,' McCain, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, said. ``No lasting political settlement can grow out of U.S. withdrawal.''

Lieberman characterized as ``untimely, unwise and unfair,'' proposals by Democrats to force a change of course. ``They would represent a retreat from Iraq and a defeat for the U.S.,'' he said. ``We have got al-Qaeda on the run.''

Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, the leading contender for the Democratic nomination, said today she would begin withdrawing troops within 60 days of taking office should she win the election. She called Bush's promises regarding the war hollow.

``Every year, we hear about how next year they may start coming home,'' Clinton said in a statement. ``Now we are hearing a new version of that yet again from the president as he has more troops in Iraq than ever and the Iraqi government is more fractured and ineffective than ever.''

Report to Congress

Congress is due to get as soon as this week a progress report on the Iraqi government's efforts to meet political objectives. A more extensive assessment on the military situation from Army General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is scheduled to be delivered in September, and Bush asked lawmakers to defer taking action before then.

``I believe that it's in this nation's interests to give the commander a change to fully implement his operations, and I believe Congress ought to wait for General Petraeus to come back and give his assessment of the strategy that he's putting in place before they make any decisions,'' Bush said.

The American people ``expect for military people to come back and tell us how the military operations are going,'' he said. ``And that's the way I'm going to play it as the commander-in-chief.''

In the meantime, the president said, ``the Iraqis got to do more work,'' adding that the July 15 report will list ``of some of the accomplishments and some of the shortfalls of their political process.''

Lobbying by Gates

As part of the administration effort to hold lawmakers in line behind Bush's policy, Defense Secretary Robert Gates today began talking with members of Congress from both parties, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

The attention that lawmakers are giving to the July report surprised administration officials, he said. When that assessment began ``taking on a level of prominence that wasn't anticipated,'' Gates canceled a planned trip to Latin America, Whitman told reporters.

The addition of 21,500 extra combat troops in Baghdad and other restive areas of Iraq hasn't stemmed sectarian violence in the country. U.S. military deaths have climbed to more than 3,600 as rebels continue to target American forces with roadside bombs, gunfire and other forms of attack.

An attack today on the heavily fortified area of Baghdad where the U.S. embassy and major Iraqi government offices are located killed at least three people and injured as many as 18.

The Senate this week is debating possible restrictions on the U.S. presence in Iraq as part of a $648.8 billion measure funding all U.S. military operations in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

Those include requiring a minimum home leave between combat deployments, rescinding Congress's 2002 vote to authorize war, and embracing key elements of the Iraq Study Group's recommendations urging pullout of most U.S. combat troops by the first quarter of 2008 and diplomatic engagement with Iran and Syria.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said the troop increase the president announced in January ``has done nothing'' to help the Iraqis find a political solution.

``The American people are outraged, they're demanding a change in policy in Iraq,'' he said. ``The surge is not working.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Edwin Chen in Cleveland, at echen32@bloomberg.netRoger Runningen in Washington at rrunningen@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 10, 2007 16:21 EDT