Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The nomination of Lieutenant General David Petraeus to be commander of U.S. forces in Iraq won approval from the Senate, after lawmakers praised him as the best hope to improve the situation in the war-torn nation.

The Senate approved his nomination today by an 81-0 vote. The vote elevates Petraeus, a combat veteran of the Iraq conflict, to a four-star Army general.

``He represents the best that our country has to offer and is our best chance for success,'' Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement after the vote. ``If it can't be done under General Petraeus, then it cannot be done at all.''

President George W. Bush nominated Petraeus for the post earlier this month as part of his revamping of U.S. strategy for the Iraq conflict, which has taken the lives of more than 3,000 American military personnel and tens of thousands of Iraqis.

Bush today said his plan ``is likely to succeed.'' Lawmakers should give it a chance, he told reporters at the White House after meeting with Petraeus, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and General Peter Pace, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs.

Success in Iraq ``is important'' to the security of the U.S., Bush said. ``Failure would be a disaster.''

The centerpiece of the strategy is the addition of as many as 21,500 U.S. forces to augment the 132,000 troops already in Iraq. At a confirmation hearing before the armed services panel this week, Petraeus endorsed the troop buildup and called it essential to the mission of quelling insurgents and sectarian militias.

A bombing at a Baghdad animal market killed at least 13 people today and hurt 33 others, President Jalal Talabani's political party said on its Web site. Bomb blasts in the center of the Iraqi capital killed at least 22 people yesterday.

Pelosi in Baghdad

U.S. lawmakers are divided about the plan to send more troops to Iraq. On Jan. 24 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 12-9 in favor of a nonbinding resolution declaring the troop buildup to be ``not in the national interest.''

Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, made an unannounced visit to Baghdad today and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President Talabani. Iraqi state television aired footage of Pelosi, a Democrat from California, meeting Maliki, without giving details of their discussions.

While Bush's plan has stirred a political fight, there was a bipartisan consensus that Petraeus had essential experience for the Iraq role. Petraeus, 54, commanded the Army's 101st Airborne Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and later supervised the training of Iraqi security forces. Most recently, he co-wrote a new U.S. military manual on counterinsurgency.

``I wish him well and I hope he succeeds,'' Senator John Warner of Virginia, the former Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said in the Senate before the vote. ``We cannot let Iraq fail.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Drajem in Washington at mdrajem@bloomberg.netKen Fireman in Washington at kfireman1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 26, 2007 11:10 EST