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Posted Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005;
8:56 p.m.
Bush Gives Plan for Iraq Victory and Withdrawal
After months of
a lingering disconnect, Bush's comments at the academy in Annapolis,
Md., seemed to finally connect with much of his own administration.
By Anton Aniston, L.A. Pilot
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Two and a half years after the American invasion
of Iraq, President Bush laid out Wednesday what he called a strategy
for victory, vowing not to pull out on "artificial timetables
set by politicians" but at the same time offering the first
glimpse of his plan for extricating American forces.
In a speech here to cheering midshipmen at the United States Naval
Academy, Mr. Bush described a military strategy for Iraq that loosely
follows methods being adopted in Afghanistan: focusing American
forces on terrorists who could reach beyond the country's borders
and leaving the Iraqis to deal with insurgents and the remnants
of Saddam Hussein's government.
"We will continue to shift from providing security and conducting
operations against the enemy nationwide to conducting more specialized
operations targeted at the most dangerous terrorists," he said.
"We will increasingly move out of Iraqi cities, reduce the
number of bases from which we operate, and conduct fewer patrols
and convoys."
Shouts of Whispers
He gave no timetables for that transition, counseling "time
and patience," and he repeatedly rejected the calls of many
Democrats and whispered urgings of some Republicans for a deadline
to begin a pullback.
"Many advocating an artificial timetable for withdrawing our
troops are sincere, but I believe they're sincerely wrong,"
Mr. Bush said. "Pulling our troops out before they've achieved
their purpose is not a plan for victory."
After his speech, those calls were renewed by Democrats, who criticized
the speech as selling a strategy that has not truly changed.
"They want to have it both ways," said Representative
Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader. "One
day they're saying, 'We have all of these troops that are trained.'
Well, then bring our troops home."
Mr. Bush spoke at length about the training Iraqis now receive.
And he dismissed critics who have leaped on the assessment made
in September by his top general in Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey, that
only one Iraqi battalion was capable of action fully independent
of American forces; Mr. Bush insisted that the practical fighting
power of the Iraqis was much greater.
Calm
Controversy
Throughout his speech on Wednesday, he tried to
balance a tone of steadfastness with hints of optimism that a troop
drawdown could begin next year. "We will never back down, we
will never give in, and we will never accept anything less than
complete victory," he said, seeming to echo Winston Churchill,
whose bust he keeps in the Oval Office.
In recent weeks, Mr. Bush's aides have expressed concern that once
the election is over, the coalition government that is expected
to emerge may spend crucial months jockeying for advantage and for
top posts, delaying a transition to Iraqi control of security.
It could also delay the lesson that Mr. Bush said he wanted the
world to take from the Iraq conflict. "Advancing the cause
of freedom and democracy in the Middle East begins with ensuring
the success of a free Iraq," he told the midshipmen.
"Freedom's victory in that country will inspire democratic
reformers from Damascus to Tehran," he said, "and spread
hope across a troubled region."
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