State Department official defends optimistic assessment in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Bush administration defended its strategy in Afghanistan Thursday to skeptical lawmakers who warned the campaign against the Taliban is losing steam.

Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher painted an optimistic picture of the situation in the country, saying there has been a "profound change" since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

But both Democratic and Republican senators called Boucher's assessment overly optimistic.

"After more than six years and more than $6 billion, the most we can claim is that life of ordinary Afghans isn't as bad as it was under the Taliban," said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., the committee chairman and a former presidential contender. "We've got to aim much higher, I think, and we have to deliver much more."

–From CNN State Department Producer Elise Labott