Washington: The former US military commander in Iraq has been accused ofunderestimating the conflict's seriousness and making 'unrealistically rosy'forecasts about when it would end. 

USSenator John McCain, a 2008 presidential contender, questioned whether GeneralGeorge Casey, who was replaced last month as head of multinational forces in Iraq,was qualified for his new Pentagon appointment as US Army chief of staff.

Casey "painted a very optimistic and rosy scenariowhich did not comport, in the view of many of us, with the actual conditions onthe ground" in Iraq,McCain told the four-star general during a sharp exchange at Casey's Senateconfirmation hearings Thursday.

"And we have paid a very, very heavy price in Americanblood and treasure because of what is now agreed to by literally everyone as afailed policy," McCain said.

McCain, a maverick Republican who has long accused PresidentGeorge W. Bush's administration and USmilitary commanders of sending too few troops to Iraq, confronted Casey over severalremarks that turned out to be too optimistic. 

They included a December 2004 prediction that Iraqi securityforces would be "capable of maintaining domestic order" by December2005.

"That, obviously, has not panned out," Caseyacknowledged.

 "I don't thinkthere is any question that the situation in the centre of the country,particularly in the capital, is bad. And we are working very hard to rectifythat," he said.

But under intense questioning, Casey refused to describe US policy in Iraq as a failure.

Casey took command of US-led forces in Iraq inmid-2004. Bush reassigned him last month shortly before announcing he wouldboost US troop strength in Iraq by 21,500 to help fight sectarian violenceand insurgents in Baghdadand al-Anbar province.

Casey was replaced by General David Petraeus, who hassupported the idea of a troop boost in Iraq.

Vietnam war veteran McCain is exploring a 2008 presidentialbid and polls show him as the centre-right party's front-runner. Bush isconstitutionally barred from seeking a third term.