Bush: Troop cuts in a while-maybe!

Bush is transparent. He is simply attempting to stave off the attempt to force him to make a commitment now. He has left it open to actually decide on a drawback of forces in September but who knows what he will decide then. It remains to be seen whether the recent rebellion within Republican ranks will go anywhere.

Bush deploys idea of troop cut "in a while"
Facing a GOP rebellion, president signals he may be open to a course shift in Iraq
By Jeff Zeleny and Sheryl Gay Stolberg The New York Times

Washington - Fearful of a Republican rebellion over Iraq that his own aides believe could force him to change course, President Bush said Tuesday that the United States would be able to pull back troops "in a while," but asked Congress to wait until September to pass judgment on a future military presence there.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., freshly back from a trip to Iraq, joined in the call for patience, imploring lawmakers not to "let fatigue dictate our policies."

As the Senate began a two-week debate over a major military spending bill, the White House dispatched Cabinet officials and advisers to urge other Republicans to stand by Bush.

The administration's message was spelled out in remarks Bush delivered in Ohio, in which the president signaled more clearly than before that he might be open to shifting toward a smaller, more-limited mission in Iraq in the future - without stating precisely when.

"I'll be glad to discuss different options," Bush said to a business group in Cleveland. He went on, "I believe we can be in a different position in a while, and that would be to have enough troops there to guard the territorial integrity of that country, enough troops there to make sure that al-Qaeda doesn't gain safe haven."

With Republicans divided in their support of Bush, it remains an open question whether a series of proposals in Congress, including those calling for troop-withdrawal deadlines, will gain the 60 votes needed for initial passage in the Senate when the measures are scheduled to be considered next week.

As the debate began Tuesday, Bush's national-security adviser, Stephen Hadley, and his new Iraq coordinator, Lt. Gen. Doug las Lute, arrived on Capitol Hill to lobby senators, while Defense Secretary Robert Gates was fielding phone calls from lawmakers in both parties.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said she received a call on Tuesday morning from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, urging her to wait until September before criticizing the Bush policy.

But "the tide has turned," Snowe said. "They obviously would prefer that we wait until September, but my view is that we should send a very strong message now."

Among the proposals to be considered over the next two weeks is a plan requiring a troop withdrawal to begin within 120 days and be completed by the end of April 2008. The sponsors, Democrats Carl Levin of Michigan and Jack Reed of Rhode Island, said the legislation would allow troops to remain in Iraq for a limited mission of combating terrorism, training Iraqi forces and protecting U.S. forces.

Bush's words on Tuesday signaled the beginning of a White House counteroffensive aimed at emphasizing that, like Americans around the country, he too wants to bring troops home.

"I fully understand that when you watch the violence on TV every night, people are saying, 'Is it worth it; can we accomplish an objective?"' Bush said. "Well, first I want to tell you, yes, we can accomplish this fight and win in Iraq. And secondly, I want to tell you, we must, for the sake of our children and grandchildren."

While Bush hinted in his remarks that he was open to exploring different options in the future, he did not expound upon them in any significant detail.

In a White House memorandum circulated on Capitol Hill and beyond, the administration said it was "too early to declare the surge a success or failure" but highlighted what it called signs of progress, including "a substantial drop in sectarian murders in Baghdad since January."

Administration officials sought to downplay the review of the benchmarks of progress in Iraq. The document, required by congressional budget legislation, is based on reports from senior commanders and diplomats in Iraq.

"This week started to take on greater importance than anyone in the administration had intended," said one senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. "September is our window."

The GOP senators who believe September is too late for a new strategy began huddling privately Tuesday to begin discussing compromise legislation to change course in Iraq. Sens. Rich ard Lugar of Indiana and John Warner of Virginia are among those crafting such proposals.

At the same time, a string of Republicans stepped forward and voiced support for the president, while Democratic leaders accused Republicans of using procedural maneuvering to delay votes on the Iraq legislation.

Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., said the critics were being hasty.

"Do we not have the patience to see a totally new strategy, which is appearing to work, given a chance?" he asked.

http://www.denverpost.com/colleges/ci_6344389