WASHINGTON &#8212 Violence in Iraq remains high, fewer Iraqi security forces are capable of acting independently, and the Baghdad Legislature has failed to reach major political agreements needed to curb violence, says a report released Tuesday.

The study by the Government Accountability Office is a blunt assessment that challenges President Bush’s findings on the war as he prepares to announce plans for the U.S. military campaign, which has cost the lives of more than 3,700 U.S. troops since it began in 2003.

Earlier this week, Bush said some U.S. forces could be sent home if security across Iraq improves.

The White House dismissed GAO’s findings as a static view of progress in Iraq. After receiving substantial resistance from the White House, the GAO determined that Iraq has partially met four out of 18 political and security goals – two more than identified in an earlier report.

U.S. Comptroller David Walker said Congress should debate whether U.S. troops are there to fight al-Qaida or if their purpose is to provide security to the general population.

GAO’s findings paint a bleaker view of progress in Iraq than offered by Bush in July and comes at a critical time in the Iraq debate. So far, Republicans have stuck by Bush and staved off Democratic legislation ordering troops home. But many, who have grown uneasy about the unpopularity of the war, say they want to see substantial improvement in Iraq by September.