Global Policy Forum

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton said on Monday more U.S. troops were needed in Iraq and urged the Bush administration to actively seek United Nations involvement to give greater legitimacy to rebuilding efforts.

Clinton, who visited U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan over the Thanksgiving holiday, said there was not the "right mix of troops" to get the job done. "We need more MPs (military police), we need more intelligence, we need more civil affairs, we need a bigger presence (in Iraq)," the Democratic New York senator and former first lady told NBC's "Today" show. She added: "Clearly, what we are doing now is not an effective strategy. We need to get the U.N. back in as quickly as possible to internationalize this."

The United States invaded Iraq and toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein without the backing of the United Nations, which later pulled out most of its foreign staff from Iraq after its Baghdad headquarters was bombed in August. In the short term, Clinton said there needed to be a United Nations mandate for Iraq that would give more legitimacy to U.S. efforts to rebuild the country.

Asked whether she thought the Bush administration would be open to more international involvement in Iraq, Clinton replied: "I think they have to be." "That's one of the reasons why bringing the U.N. in would be a benefit for the Bush administration as well as the prospects for creating conditions that would lead to democracy," said Clinton, wife of ex President Bill Clinton .

President Bush made a surprise visit to Baghdad last Thursday to boost morale in the face of continuing U.S. casualties. Clinton, who made her own trip the following day, applauded the president for visiting U.S. troops but said his trip should not be a substitute for a decent strategy in Iraq.

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