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Saying he has been swayed by New Mexicans who have lost family members in Iraq and by the failures of the Iraqi government, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici on July 5 called for a change in strategy that could lead to a drawdown in American forces beginning next March.

Domenici, an Albuquerque Republican who has been a staunch supporter of President Bush's war policy, stopped short of calling for an end to the current American policy of increased troops and stepped-up security efforts. But he said conditions are continuing to deteriorate in Iraq and acknowledged that his stance is at odds with the president's.

"There are two competitive policies," Domenici said during a news conference this morning in Albuquerque. "I believe what we're doing here will overtake what we're doing with the surge."

Domenici said he will sign on as a co-sponsor of a Senate bill that calls for implementation of recommendations made last December by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. Among other things, those recommendations call for maintaining a smaller U.S. presence in Iraq while redeploying most troops elsewhere in the region to act as a ready-response force.

Domenici said his support of the bill reflects a gradual shift in his views about the war.

"I voted for it and I whole-heartedly supported it, but I have become more and more quizzical," he said. "The war didn't go the way it was planned. I'm not prepared to say it was a mistake."

Domenici praised the performance of U.S. troops but said he'd sensed a shift in views among family members who have lost sons or daughters in Iraq. Domenici said one father he spoke to recently said his son was proud to serve in the military and was willing to give his life.

"But then this man said, `I'm asking you if you couldn't do a little extra to get our troops back,' " Domenici said, recalling the conversation. "I heard nothing like that a couple years ago."

Domenici said he believes military family members and the country at large are growing increasingly weary of a long war that continues to produce casualties but "few measurable results."

Like a growing number of other Republicans, Domenici framed his change in views in terms of the performance of the Iraqi government. He said the Iraqis were failing to make any significant progress on reconciling the growing sectarian fault-lines that have led to increased violence.

Many Democrats have argued that setting a timetable for withdrawal would pressure the Iraqi government to action. But Domenici, who said he opposes an "arbitrary withdrawal date," said he believes the Senate bill he's co-sponsoring could have a similar effect.

"If I were the Iraqi government and I saw this group, I saw Domenici speaking today," he said, "I would start to get very worried that something real could happen to the American support."

Pressed on whether he was confident the Iraqi government could produce national reconciliation, Domenici sounded less than sure.

"I think they didn't get great leadership," he said. "But there's values and valued things there. They're going to have to set themselves straight. Something will get them to move straight. If nothing else, maybe the oil."