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By Steve Holland

STATESBORO, Ga., Oct 30 (Reuters) - Weakened by the unpopular Iraq war, President George W. Bush accused Democrats of lacking a plan to win it on Monday as he opened a weeklong drive to try to keep Republicans in control of the U.S. Congress.

"The Democratic goal is to get out of Iraq. The Republican goal is to win in Iraq," Bush told a rousing rally in a gymnasium at Georgia Southern University.

Bush planned to travel every day but one in the time leading up to the Nov. 7 elections, swooping into regions where races are tight and where a presidential visit aimed at drawing Republican loyalists to the voting booths might make a difference.

"This election is far from over," Bush said.

With polls showing voters far more inclined to vote for Democrats this year, Bush argued it was the right decision to oust Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq despite the bloody insurgency that sprang up after the U.S. invasion.

Accused by Democrats of refusing to budge from a stay-the-course policy, Bush insisted his commanders have the flexibility needed to adjust to the enemy's tactics and that the only way not to succeed is "to leave before the job is done."

"If you listen carefully for a Democrat plan for success, they don't have one. Iraq is the central front in the war on terror, yet they don't have a plan for victory," he said.

Dispatching the president was a calculation by the White House that Bush can help deliver votes despite a job approval rating below 40 percent and deep dissatisfaction with his handling of the Iraq war, which claimed the lives of 100 U.S. soldiers in October alone.

In Statesboro, Bush campaigned for former Rep. Max Burns who is trying to overturn incumbent Democratic Rep. John Barrow.

Later, he was traveling to help the Republican candidate in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land in Bush's home state of Texas in the race to succeed Tom DeLay, the former No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives.

DeLay resigned his seat earlier this year after he got caught up in the influence-peddling scandal involving ex-Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and Democrats stood a good chance of taking the seat as they try to pick up the 15 seats they need in the House to take control of that chamber.

DeLay's would-be replacement is dermatologist and Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. Her Democratic opponent, Nick Lampson, is favored to win.

Independent analysts suggest Democrats could gain 20 to 35 seats in the House of Representatives, more than the 15 needed to claim a majority. Democrats would need to win several tight races to gain the six seats necessary to take Senate control.

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