Bush to Congress: "I'm the decision-maker" on Iraq

President Bush, on a collision course with Congress over Iraq, said Friday "I'm the decision-maker" about sending more troops to the war. He challenged skeptical lawmakers not to prematurely condemn his plan.

"I've picked the plan that I think is most likely to succeed," Bush said in an Oval Office meeting with senior military advisors.

The president had strong words for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who are lining up to support resolutions opposing his decision to send 21,500 troops to Iraq. He challenged them to put up their own ideas.

"Some are condemning a plan before it's even had a chance to work," he said.

Bush has largely ignored the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group as he presses forward with the troop buildup. A member of the study group, former Defense Secretary William Perry, talked about the Iraq war this week at the Commonwealth Club of California.

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