WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said Wednesday that he was sending about 21,500 extra troops to Iraq, and said he would also put more pressure on Iraqis to restore order. Following are some reactions to his new plan for Iraq: NEW CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATIC LEADERS: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI; SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID; HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER STENY HOYER; SENATE ASSISTANT DEMOCRATIC LEADER RICHARD DURBIN, IN JOINT STATEMENT: "In the days ahead, Congress will exercise its Constitutional responsibilities by giving the President's latest proposal the scrutiny our troops and the American people expect. We will demand answers to the tough questions that have not been asked or answered to date. The American people want a change of course in Iraq. We intend to keep pressing President Bush to provide it." REP. ROY BLUNT, HOUSE REPUBLICAN WHIP "The president knows there is no silver bullet to make our mission there easier, but he is committed to a new, better strategy that will move us toward a stable Iraq." SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY, DEMOCRAT OF MASSACHUSETTS "What we really ought to be having at this time is a surge of political initiatives, rather than a surge of military initiatives." SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, SENATE MINORITY LEADER, REPUBLICAN OF KENTUCKY "I think Prime Minister Maliki knows that time is running out for him and for his government, and that it's time to participate in what they and us agree is essential, which is a relatively quiet Baghdad. It doesn't have to be any safer than Los Angeles or New York. But a relatively safe Baghdad is essential element to having a functioning government." REP. DIANE WATSON, DEMOCRAT OF CALIFORNIA "I am adamantly opposed to President Bush's decision to escalate the number of American troops in Iraq. Now he wants to compound a failed policy by putting more American men and women in harm's way. It is a weak and last-ditch effort to control the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Iraq." SEN. BARACK OBAMA, DEMOCRAT OF ILLINOIS, LIKELY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE"I did not see anything in the speech or anything in the runup to the speech that provides evidence that an additional 15-to-20 thousand more U.S. troops is going to make a significant dent in the sectarian violence that's taking place there and I didn't see any political strategy in the president's remarks." MITT ROMNEY, FORMER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS, LIKELY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE "It is impossible to defeat the insurgency without first providing security for the Iraqi people ... I support adding five brigades in Baghdad and two regiments in Al-Anbar province. Success will require rapid deployment." KEVIN RYAN, RETIRED BRIGADIER GENERAL, SENIOR FELLOW AT HARVARD'S BELFER CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS "The majority of the president's plan contains elements from the existing strategy and many of those get beefed up or added emphasis and that is good ... A couple of things that are new, one is the emphasis of the hard line with the Iraqi government, the other is the "surge." Surges are not new but this one may end up going for a long time. If it does, it's quite a few brigades and Marine battalions, so if it does go for a long time that will cause a crisis in the U.S. ground forces and their ability to sustain these kinds of deployments. ANDREW TAYLOR, A POLITICAL ANALYST AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY "Obviously there is tremendous skepticism in the public about where this policy is going, and Republicans will be the ones to pay any price." LAWRENCE VELVEL, DEAN OF THE MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL OF LAW AT ANDOVER "Better a protest march of unprecedented size in Washington (two to five million people) sufficient to succeed in causing this war to be shut down, than an escalation of Bush's folly with hundreds or thousands more American deaths, many thousands of American maimings, and tens, scores or hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths." AARON AMARAL, A LAW STUDENT, ORGANIZER OF DEMONSTRATION OUTSIDE AN ARMY RECRUITMENT CENTER IN MOSTLY LATIN AMERICAN AND SOUTH ASIAN NEIGHBORHOOD IN NEW YORK "The government places an inordinate burden on communities of color to fight this war. I feel disgusted that President Bush feels empowered to send more troops."
