Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld drew withering fire Thursday from congressional Democrats, as Secretary of State Colin Powell sought to reassure the International Red Cross and the administration struggled to quell the uproar over abusive treatment of prisoners in postwar Iraq. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters she believes Rumsfeld must go. And Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, issued a statement saying, "For the good of our country, the safety of our troops, and our image around the globe Secretary Rumsfeld should resign. If he does not resign forthwith, the president should fire him." White House spokesman Scott McClellan gave no indication that Rumsfeld's job was in jeopardy. On the contrary, he said, "The president very much appreciates the job Secretary Rumsfeld is doing and the president has great confidence in his leadership." For the second straight day, Bush agreed to be interviewed by Arab reporters, putting his personal weight behind reassurances that those responsible for the abuses would be brought to justice. At the State Department, Powell received a telephone call from Jakob Kellenberger of the Red Cross and assured him the Bush administration was dealing with the abuse issue, dramatized by photographs broadcast worldwide and posted on the Internet. A new batch was published Thursday. "We will answer in a comprehensive way," Powell told reporters. Powell talked to Kellenberger after the International Red Cross said that months before word of the abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison became public, it had repeatedly asked U.S. authorities to take action over reported abuses. "We were aware of what was going on, and based on our findings we have repeatedly requested the U.S. authorities to take corrective action," said Nada Doumani, a spokeswoman for the organization in Geneva. She said Red Cross representatives have visited the prison and talked privately with detainees since last year. Photographs of Iraqi prisoners, some of them hooded, naked and in sexually humiliating poses, have prompted expressions of revulsion worldwide in recent days. Some of the images show American captors mugging and gloating amid the misery of the Iraqis. One, published Thursday on the front page of The Washington Post, showed a naked man on the ground, his neck on a leash, the other end of which was in the hand of a female American GI. Bush made two appearances beamed to the Arab world on Wednesday, and on Thursday, scheduled an interview with al-Ahram, a newspaper in Cairo. For his part, Rumsfeld remained out of public view during the day. He scrapped an appearance at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, dispatching deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz in his place. One Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Rumsfeld decided to remain in his office to prepare for a command appearance Friday before a Senate committee. "The actions of those soldiers in the photos are totally unacceptable," Wolfowitz told the council. "They have damaged the cause for which brave men and women are fighting and dying." Democrats and Republicans alike expressed their shock and outrage at the abusive treatment of prisoners, but thus far, outright calls for Rumsfeld's ouster were limited to Democrats. Pelosi, D-Calif., asked whether she believes the defense secretary should step down, said, "I do." Harkin, D-Iowa, issued a statement that laid blame for the developments at Rumsfeld's door. "Each day new revelations emerge that the Secretary of Defense, through this statements, policies and actions, created conditions that led to these abuses. Yet the Secretary refuses to accept responsibility," he said. "The United States Constitution assures civilian control over the military. The blame cannot and should not remain solely with low-level soldiers. The Secretary must be held accountable." Across the Capitol, the Republican-controlled House pushed toward passage of legislation that deplored "the abuse of persons in United States custody" and urged that any military personnel involved be brought to justice. "The charges of abuses will be examined fully and immediate corrective measures taken to prevent against their reoccurance. That's assured," said Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla. Democrats argued the GOP-drafted measure didn't go far enough. They called instead for a bipartisan congressional investigation and pointed out the Republican proposal made no mention of intelligence agents or civilian contractor employees who may also have abused detainees. "It is critical that Congress not blindly accept the scapegoating of a few enlisted men and women when there is a much more serious, troubling, high-ranking and systematic problem that needs our most serious attention," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. "I fear for every American who is now held captive in Iraq," he said. An Arab television station in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, aired video Thursday of a blindfolded man described as an Iraqi-American being held hostage in Iraq. The man, speaking in English, gave his name as Aban Elias and said he was a civil engineer for the Pentagon from Denver and had been working in Baghdad. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld listens to a question as he briefed reporters, Tuesday, May 4, 2004 at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP)