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http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/bush_iraq/2007/09/03/29465.html
Bush Makes War Assessment in Iraq
Monday, September 3, 2007
AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- President Bush, after hearing from top U.S. and
Iraqi leaders, said Monday some American forces could be sent home if
security across Iraq continues to improve as it has in Anbar Province, a
former hotbed of Sunni insurgency.
But the president, flanked by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice, did not say how many troops could be withdrawn or
how soon.
Despite intense pressure at home for cutbacks, Bush said decisions about
troop levels "will be based on a calm assessment by our military commanders
on the conditions on the ground - not a nervous reaction by Washington
politicians to poll results in the media.
"In other words," the president told cheering troops at this military base,
"when we begin to draw down troops from Iraq it will be from a position of
strength and success - not from a position of fear and failure."
Bush spoke after hearing from Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in
Iraq, and U.S. ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker, who are testifying to
Congress next week assessing the president's troop buildup.
"Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker tell me if the kind of success we're
now seeing continues, it will be possible to maintain the same level of
security with fewer American forces," Bush said.
Bush stood in front of two Humvees near a dusty tarmac of this desert
outpost in western Iraq, about 120 miles west of Baghdad, to share his
latest views about the war. He urged Congress to wait until they hear
testimony from Crocker and Petraeus and see a White House progress report
due by Sept. 15 before judging the result of his decision to send an extra
30,000 troops to Iraq.
"I urge members of both parties in Congress to listen to what they have to
say," he said. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions until the general and the
ambassador report."
Bush met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other top government
officials from Baghdad. He urged the government to respond to progress in
Anbar where violence has abated after Sunni tribal leaders and former
insurgents teamed up with U.S. troops to hunt down al-Qaida and other
extremists.
He also met with Sunni tribal sheiks and members of Anbar's governing body.
"I'm going to reassure them that America does not abandon our friends," he
said.
To a large degree, the setting was the message: Bringing al-Maliki, a
Shiite, to the heart of mostly Sunni Anbar province was intended to show the
administration's war critics that the beleaguered Iraqi leader is capable of
reaching out to Sunnis, who ran the country for years under Saddam Hussein.
Even Republicans are pressuring Bush on troop cuts. Republican Sen. John
Warner surprised the White House by declaring over the summer congressional
break that he wants some U.S. troops to start coming home from Iraq by
Christmas. He said he may support Democratic legislation ordering
withdrawals if Bush refuses to set a return timetable soon.
The temperature topped 110 degrees as Bush stepped off Air Force One. The
president stopped at a small building where a Marine Cobra pilot briefed him
about the positives and negatives of current troop rotations. He told the
president that troops were not getting enough time at home and did not have
enough time for training.
"Morale?" asked Bush. "How's morale?"
"Very high sir," the pilot, Capt. Lee Hemming, said.
Bush's six-hour stay was being confined to Al-Asad Air Base, an airfield
once part of Saddam Hussein's military.
Hadley said the trip was conceived about six weeks ago when top White House
advisers began discussing Bush's role as Congress returns to Washington and
debate over the war heats up. It was decided that progress in Anbar made it
the perfect place to showcase the administration's strategy.
There has been a drop in violence in Anbar, where Sunni tribal leaders and
former insurgents have teamed up with U.S. troops to hunt down al-Qaida and
other extremists.
Anticipating criticism that Bush's trip was a media event to buttress
support for his war strategy, the White House was ready to push back.
"There are some people who might try to deride this trip as a photo
opportunity," White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said. "We
wholeheartedly disagree."
Hadley said Bush wanted to hear personally from commanders and from
al-Maliki himself.
"There is no substitute for sitting down, looking him in the eye, and having
a conversation with him," Hadley said. "The president felt this is something
he had to do in order to put himself in a position to make some important
decisions."
Next week, Petraeus and Crocker testify before Congress. Their assessment of
the conflict, along with a progress report the White House must give
lawmakers by Sept. 15, will determine the next chapter of the war.
Indications are that the president intends to stick with his current
approach - at least into 2008 - despite pressure from the Democratic-led
Congress and some prominent Republicans. Right now, the White House is
working to keep Republican members of Congress in the president's fold to
prevent Democrats from amassing the strength to slash war funds or mandate
immediate troop withdrawals.
The United States cannot sustain the troop buildup indefinitely. And with
Democrats calling for withdrawals and a rising U.S. death toll that has
topped 3,700, the president is hardpressed to give al-Maliki's government
much more time to find a political solution to the fighting.
Bush stopped in Iraq ahead of his visit to Australia for an economic summit
with Asia-Pacific leaders. The trip was a closely held secret for obvious
security reasons, although there was speculation about such a visit after
Laura Bush said late last month that she was staying home to tend to a
pinched nerve in her neck.
The president, who also went to Iraq at Thanksgiving 2003 and in June 2006,
was scheduled to leave for Australia on Monday. But he quietly slipped out a
side door of the White House on Sunday evening and was driven to Andrews Air
Force Base to board Air Force One.
The White House arranged Bush's trip at a pivotal juncture in the Iraq
debate. Some prominent GOP lawmakers have broken with Bush on his war
strategy, but so far, most Republicans have stood with Bush. In exchange for
their loyalty, they want to see substantial progress in Iraq soon.
Critics of the war argue that while the troop buildup may have tamped down
violence, the Iraqis are making almost no headway toward political
reconciliation. They cite a handful of gloomy progress reports trickling out
of Washington that show some success in curbing violence, but little
progress toward political power-sharing agreements.
There are now 162,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, including 30,000 that arrived
since February as part of Bush's revised strategy to provide security so
Iraqi leaders could build a unity government.
Bush Makes War Assessment in Iraq
Monday, September 3, 2007
AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- President Bush, after hearing from top U.S. and
Iraqi leaders, said Monday some American forces could be sent home if
security across Iraq continues to improve as it has in Anbar Province, a
former hotbed of Sunni insurgency.
But the president, flanked by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice, did not say how many troops could be withdrawn or
how soon.
Despite intense pressure at home for cutbacks, Bush said decisions about
troop levels "will be based on a calm assessment by our military commanders
on the conditions on the ground - not a nervous reaction by Washington
politicians to poll results in the media.
"In other words," the president told cheering troops at this military base,
"when we begin to draw down troops from Iraq it will be from a position of
strength and success - not from a position of fear and failure."
Bush spoke after hearing from Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in
Iraq, and U.S. ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker, who are testifying to
Congress next week assessing the president's troop buildup.
"Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker tell me if the kind of success we're
now seeing continues, it will be possible to maintain the same level of
security with fewer American forces," Bush said.
Bush stood in front of two Humvees near a dusty tarmac of this desert
outpost in western Iraq, about 120 miles west of Baghdad, to share his
latest views about the war. He urged Congress to wait until they hear
testimony from Crocker and Petraeus and see a White House progress report
due by Sept. 15 before judging the result of his decision to send an extra
30,000 troops to Iraq.
"I urge members of both parties in Congress to listen to what they have to
say," he said. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions until the general and the
ambassador report."
Bush met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other top government
officials from Baghdad. He urged the government to respond to progress in
Anbar where violence has abated after Sunni tribal leaders and former
insurgents teamed up with U.S. troops to hunt down al-Qaida and other
extremists.
He also met with Sunni tribal sheiks and members of Anbar's governing body.
"I'm going to reassure them that America does not abandon our friends," he
said.
To a large degree, the setting was the message: Bringing al-Maliki, a
Shiite, to the heart of mostly Sunni Anbar province was intended to show the
administration's war critics that the beleaguered Iraqi leader is capable of
reaching out to Sunnis, who ran the country for years under Saddam Hussein.
Even Republicans are pressuring Bush on troop cuts. Republican Sen. John
Warner surprised the White House by declaring over the summer congressional
break that he wants some U.S. troops to start coming home from Iraq by
Christmas. He said he may support Democratic legislation ordering
withdrawals if Bush refuses to set a return timetable soon.
The temperature topped 110 degrees as Bush stepped off Air Force One. The
president stopped at a small building where a Marine Cobra pilot briefed him
about the positives and negatives of current troop rotations. He told the
president that troops were not getting enough time at home and did not have
enough time for training.
"Morale?" asked Bush. "How's morale?"
"Very high sir," the pilot, Capt. Lee Hemming, said.
Bush's six-hour stay was being confined to Al-Asad Air Base, an airfield
once part of Saddam Hussein's military.
Hadley said the trip was conceived about six weeks ago when top White House
advisers began discussing Bush's role as Congress returns to Washington and
debate over the war heats up. It was decided that progress in Anbar made it
the perfect place to showcase the administration's strategy.
There has been a drop in violence in Anbar, where Sunni tribal leaders and
former insurgents have teamed up with U.S. troops to hunt down al-Qaida and
other extremists.
Anticipating criticism that Bush's trip was a media event to buttress
support for his war strategy, the White House was ready to push back.
"There are some people who might try to deride this trip as a photo
opportunity," White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said. "We
wholeheartedly disagree."
Hadley said Bush wanted to hear personally from commanders and from
al-Maliki himself.
"There is no substitute for sitting down, looking him in the eye, and having
a conversation with him," Hadley said. "The president felt this is something
he had to do in order to put himself in a position to make some important
decisions."
Next week, Petraeus and Crocker testify before Congress. Their assessment of
the conflict, along with a progress report the White House must give
lawmakers by Sept. 15, will determine the next chapter of the war.
Indications are that the president intends to stick with his current
approach - at least into 2008 - despite pressure from the Democratic-led
Congress and some prominent Republicans. Right now, the White House is
working to keep Republican members of Congress in the president's fold to
prevent Democrats from amassing the strength to slash war funds or mandate
immediate troop withdrawals.
The United States cannot sustain the troop buildup indefinitely. And with
Democrats calling for withdrawals and a rising U.S. death toll that has
topped 3,700, the president is hardpressed to give al-Maliki's government
much more time to find a political solution to the fighting.
Bush stopped in Iraq ahead of his visit to Australia for an economic summit
with Asia-Pacific leaders. The trip was a closely held secret for obvious
security reasons, although there was speculation about such a visit after
Laura Bush said late last month that she was staying home to tend to a
pinched nerve in her neck.
The president, who also went to Iraq at Thanksgiving 2003 and in June 2006,
was scheduled to leave for Australia on Monday. But he quietly slipped out a
side door of the White House on Sunday evening and was driven to Andrews Air
Force Base to board Air Force One.
The White House arranged Bush's trip at a pivotal juncture in the Iraq
debate. Some prominent GOP lawmakers have broken with Bush on his war
strategy, but so far, most Republicans have stood with Bush. In exchange for
their loyalty, they want to see substantial progress in Iraq soon.
Critics of the war argue that while the troop buildup may have tamped down
violence, the Iraqis are making almost no headway toward political
reconciliation. They cite a handful of gloomy progress reports trickling out
of Washington that show some success in curbing violence, but little
progress toward political power-sharing agreements.
There are now 162,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, including 30,000 that arrived
since February as part of Bush's revised strategy to provide security so
Iraqi leaders could build a unity government.
