July 12, 2007
Bush Sees Glass Half Full In Iraq
UPDATED.
President Bush dug in his heels today and told the American public he would not reconsider the current Iraq war strategy until a final report on progress there is delivered in September.
"I believe we can succeed in Iraq and I believe we must," the president said, in a rare televised press conference that was carried live on all the broadcast networks.
Bush said that his goals for Iraq -- that its government be able to "protect its people, deliver basic services and be an ally in this war against extremists and radicals" -- had not budged. He recognized the tidal wave of opposition to the war he faces, but said that the United States could not afford the chaos that would overtake Iraq if U.S. forces withdrew "precipitously."
Bush was forced to address the public because of the cyclone of opposition to the war that now surrounds him. Republican lawmakers are more openly pessimistic about the "surge" strategy, and today, the White House delivered a report that shows the Iraqi government is making progress on just eight of 18 benchmarks established by Congress. Progress on two benchmarks was mixed, and progress on the remaining eight was deemed unsatisfactory.
"Those who believe the battle in Iraq is lost will likely point to the unsatisfactory performance on some of the benchmarks," he acknowledged. But "we see the satisfactory performance on several of the benchmarks as cause for optimism," he added.
Bush said that political progress in Iraq could not happen without inroads on security, and said the American public should not be surprised that the political benchmarks weren't hit.
"Progress on security will pave the way for political progress," he predicted, cautioning that in September there would only be the "beginning of improvement" in Iraq's political system. "We will adjust where we need to make adjustments," he said.
Bush argued that the new counterinsurgency strategy only just got started last month. Rather than patrol from fortress-like bases, U.S. forces are being positioned in neighborhoods to build relationships with Iraqis and repel build-ups of al-Qaida in Iraq and insurgent fighters.
"This report was written a little less than a month after the full complement of troops arrived," Bush said, calling the report "preliminary." He frequently cited the example of Anbar province, where Sunni tribal leaders have allied themselves with coalition forces to root out al-Qaida fighters, as the watermark for progress elsewhere in the country. Bush did not address, nor was he asked about, the fact that Anbar is overwhelmingly Sunni in make-up -- meaning, there is no Shiite threat to complicate a Sunni-U.S. partnership.
Bush also refused to speculate on whether he would consider a drawdown if by September, there is no marked improvement in Iraq. "I will rely on General [David] Petraeus for his recommendation for appropriate troop levels. I will discuss those recommendations with the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I will take consultations with Congress on both sides of the aisle. And then I'll make a decision," Bush said.
Senate Democrats were unmoved by Bush's request that they lay off on the war until September.
"The president asked us for patience, but every day that we wait, every week that goes by, means more American soldiers that will be killed in this war that has been going downhill for so long," said Majority Whip Richard Durbin.
Lawmakers this week will vote on an amendment sponsored by Sens. Carl Levin and Jack Reed that establishes a drawdown of troops within 120 days and an end to combat by April 30. Republicans have denied the majority an up-or-down vote on amendments that cut into Bush's authority on the war, however, and the Levin-Reed amendment still does not have 60 votes to end debate.
Durbin, Majority Leader Harry Reid and other top Democrats addressed reporters following Bush's press conference. They called on Republicans to "build up their political courage" and help the majority pass the Levin-Reed amendment.
More than 70 percent of Americans want all troops out of Iraq by April, a new USA Today/Gallup poll finds. Bush was asked why he continued to ignore the American public's calls for an end to the U.S. role in Iraq.
"I understand why the American people -- they're tired of the war. There's war fatigue in America, and it's affecting our psychology," Bush said. But "when we start drawing down forces in Iraq, it will be because the commanders on the ground say it's right, and not because pollsters say it's good politics."
Bush again attributed his determination to see the "surge" through to Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. He has been tying the surge to Petraeus more and more recently, in what may be an acknowledgment of his almost total political vulnerability. The same USA/Gallup poll showed that despite their anger about the direction of the war, a majority of Americans want Congress to defer to the military until September, when Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker personally deliver their final report on the "New Way Forward" to Congress.
IraqSlogger has analysis of the interim White House report, and CNN has video of Bush's press conference.
(White House photo by Paul Morse; DOD photo by Cpl. Shane S. Keller, U.S. Marine Corps)
Posted at 2:26 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, David Petraeus, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush
Share via
