Bush And Blair Agree On 'New Approach'

Both Say New Iraq Strategy Needed; Blair Tells CBS News He Can See Role For Iran And Syria

(CBS/AP)  President Bush gave a chilly response to the Iraq Study Group's proposals for reshaping his policy Thursday, objecting to talks with Iran and Syria, refusing to endorse a major troop withdrawal and vowing no retreat from embattled U.S. goals in the Mideast.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, an unflagging ally in the unpopular war, stood with Mr. Bush and wholeheartedly supported his determination to fight to victory in Iraq and spread democracy across the Middle East.

"The vision is absolutely correct," Blair said at a news conference where the two leaders agreed, nevertheless, on a need for new approaches in Iraq.

"I thought we would succeed quicker than we did," Mr. Bush said. "And I am disappointed by the pace of success." When a reporter suggested that the president was denying even to himself how bad things are, he tartly replied, "It's bad in Iraq. That help?"

President Bush has ruled out talks with Iran unless it steps away from a suspected nuclear weapons program. And Mr. Bush said Syria should "stop allowing money and arms to cross your border into Iraq. Don't provide safe haven for terrorist groups."

But in an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, Blair said that he thought engaging Iran and Syria was a possibility.

"I think that provided Iran and Syria come in order to help, I think people would want them as part of this group," Blair told Couric.

"I think have got to divide these two things up," he continued. "I think in respect to the nuclear weapons issue, as Baker-Hamilton says, I think it's important that is dealt with within the Security Council mechanism."

The president and prime minister met a day after a bipartisan commission warned that "the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating" and recommended fundamentally different U.S. policies. Its key recommendations call for direct engagement with Iran and Syria as part of a new diplomatic initiative and a pullback of all American combat brigades by early 2008, barring unexpected developments.

While calling the report constructive, Bush and Blair took an unapologetic, almost defiant tone about their decisions and their resolve to keep up the struggle against extremists. The two leaders did not appear to agree with the commission's conclusion that America's ability to shape outcomes was diminishing and time was running out.

"We're going to succeed," the president said. "I believe we'll prevail."

Mr. Bush is now awaiting two in-house reviews that he hopes will let him craft his own plan — rather than seeming to simply adopt the Baker proposals wholesale, reports CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod.

"I don't think they expect us to accept every recommendation," Mr. Bush said at the news conference.

Testifying earlier in the day on Capitol Hill, study group co-chair and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III did not appear to agree.

"I hope we don't treat this like a fruit salad and say, 'I like this but I don't like that,'" he said. "This is a comprehensive strategy."

Blair defined the challenge as "a struggle between freedom and democracy on the one hand and terrorism and sectarianism on the other. And it's a noble mission, and it's the right mission."

The leaders of the Iraq Study Group — Baker and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind. — defended the panel's recommendations during an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took issue with the commission's call for phasing out the U.S. combat role over the next 15 months and focusing instead on training and advising the Iraqi army. He rejected the idea that the Army and Marines cannot spare more combat forces for Iraq duty.

"There's only one thing worse than an over-stressed Army and Marine Corps, and that's a defeated Army and Marine Corps," said McCain, a Vietnam veteran and a 2008 Republican presidential hopeful. "I believe this is a recipe that will lead to our defeat sooner or later in Iraq."

Under intense pressure to take a new direction, Bush is expected to make a major speech about Iraq before Christmas. He said his decisions will be based on the recommendations of separate studies from the Pentagon, State Department and National Security Council as well as the Baker-Hamilton group.

The administration agreed with the commission's call for a new round of Middle East diplomacy to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to the Middle East early next year, the State Department said. "I would expect in the days, weeks, months and years ahead that you are going to see her devote a tremendous amount of energy" to the Mideast, spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Blair said he would go to the Middle East next week, too, and Mr. Bush endorsed his mission.

Battered in the polls, President Bush and Blair have paid a heavy price for the war. The Democratic takeover of Congress was attributed in large measure to voters' unhappiness with Bush and his Iraq policy. But the two leaders said it was essential to support moderates and reformers across the Middle East and to back the Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at a time of increasing sectarian violence.

Mr. Bush was lukewarm about the commission's call for withdrawal of all combat brigades by 2008 as the role of U.S. troops shifts from combat to training Iraqi soldiers and police.

"I've always said we'd like our troops out as fast as possible," the president said. He said any troop plans have to be "flexible and realistic" and depend on conditions on the ground. He said he would be guided by the recommendations of military commanders "based upon whether or not we're achieving our stated objective."

Mr. Bush was unwavering about Iraq. "We will stand firm again in this first war of the 21st century. We will defeat the extremists and the radicals. We will help a young democracy prevail in Iraq."

[antoniof123]

I wish that an answer was easy but as always it is not. Can we just get rid of the King and his Vice King and start the last 6 years again. If King George would just understand that Daddy was trying to give him a way out. But NOOOOOOO he is too stoned on drugs and alcohol.

[joeshields56]

I now know that I inadvertently repeated a Rush Limbaugh "satirical argument" concerning returning Saddam Hussein to power in a post I sent yesterday on this story. No wonder I got lambasted!

Actually, my post wasn't meant to be satirical. I was being earnest in raising the question of returning Saddam Hussein to power. His removal was unjustified. His so-called crimes, while grave, were not any worse then what some other world leaders have done (who are still in power today) and who knows maybe what he did, was, in the big picture, best for his countrymen.

His accusers were essentially U.S. "puppets" dancing in a kangaroo court. The fact that Ramsey Clark, an intelligent, courageous American, joined Saddam's defense team makes me wonder, "was this right?"

Sadly, it is too late for the American soldiers and the Iraqi citizens who have been killed or wounded. But we haven't killed Saddam yet. Perhaps that is one injustice we can still reverse. Especially if the present Iraqi government falls apart.

It may sound crazy, but then these are crazy times. Besides, just think how interested Iran and other Middle East countries might become in talking with us and helping us out in Iraq, if the U.S. seriously started down that road. Hmmmm.

[pakaal]

I hope when Blair was talking about engaging Syria and Iran, no one embarrassed him by pointing out that Bush has already said no to that, and that the US is pushing for sanctions against Iran. That ought to make the Iranians more amenable to talks.

[cjcraig36]

This whole thing just saddens me. My son just turned 18, and the last thing I would consider, would be for him to go fight "Bush's" war. PLAIN AND SIMPLE.."BUSH'S WAR", that he has drained the U.S. for doing so.

[emhawks]

Can America withstand (2) more yrs. of Bush & Cheney?

[skash-2009]

The Pentagon is asking for additional funding for this war in an amount approaching $160 billion. They presently have enough to carry our military efforts through Spring of 2007 with the last $70 billion they were allocated. Everyone needs to call their Senators and Congressmen, or write to them, and say loud and clear that you want them to stop funding this war. As long as whatever amount of money they ask for is given, this nightmare will continue. If you really care about our troops and support them, you will insist they end this illegal and immoral war and bring them home. Our troops signed up to protect and defend our country and they have been used for a purpose which not only does not protect and defend but has created a situation in which our country has been made much more unsafe and has almost been driven into insolvency from spending money on this farce. Bush is what he is and we cannot change that, but we can work together to save our country.

[frankly6]

. So once again, let us be clear and unambiguous in our demands. And today it is your duty as an American citizen to contact your Senators and Representatives and personally voice these demands to them:

President Bush and Vice President Cheney have committed high treason against the United States of America and must be impeached and removed from office according to the rules and laws set forth in our Constitution.

They have claimed that they are no longer subject to the authority of the judicial or legislative branches of our government, and may ignore any law they wish at anytime. They have even claimed that the President may "sign" a law, while simultaneously signing another statement claiming he is free to ignore it. They have established a network of unconstitutional secret prisons, where both foreign and domestic citizens who have been illegally abducted are sent indeterminately, without charge or representation. Some have been tortured, and some have even been murdered. They have single handedly erased our sacred and traditional rights to privacy by claiming they may place anyone they wish under surveillance at any time, even going so far as to specifically claim they may ignore FISA laws. They have started an illegal preemptive war that has needlessly taken the lives of almost 3,000 of our bravest and most noble fighting men and women. ...

ST, from my latest blog
www.searingtruth.com

[exusmcsgt]

New approach? More like a repackaging of the same, bone-headed strategy that got us here. Maybe a minor nip and tuck here and there, but it'll be the same old $&!? until Bubba leaves.

[searingtruth]

"you need to write a book SearingTruth some of your stuff is profound and right on!"
bluestardad

Thank you fellow patriot. I sincerely appreciate your support. However, without patriots like you nothing I, or anyone, says will mean a thing. You and others like you are soley responsible for the restoration of our nation, as it should be.

I hope you have visited our site and have read "A Future of the Brave". We are currently restructuring our site as originally envisioned (we had to open in emergency mode when Bush decided he was a dictator) and will open our new parent site, Humanavance.org, on February 1st. Our political center will continue to be SearingTruth.com, and our new advanced technology center is LightYearDesigns.com. We are working day and night to get them all up and running on time, and I hope to see you and the other patriots on this forum there on opening day ...

I have to get some sleep now, as I have indeed been working all night, and in any case there are many patriots now taking over the freedom shift. Thank you!.
ST

"I wanted only a freedom for all that I had coveted for myself."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[clestes-2009]

"President Bush gave a chilly response to the Iraq Study Group's proposals for reshaping his policy Thursday, objecting to talks with Iran and Syria, refusing to endorse a major troop withdrawal and vowing no retreat from embattled U.S. goals in the Mideast."

Sounds like "stay the course" to me. I knew he would not change his strategy. He is too stubborn to change, totally inflexible, which is not a good thing in a leader.

So, another 2 years of massive damage and unnecessry death on all sides, all because shrub does not care for anyone except himself. Certainly not his party. He is dooming them to lose in 2008. I have to wonder if he realizes that his legacy will be one of stupid, stupid mistakes, blind stubborness, and a complete state of denial in the face of facts.

[bluestardad]

you need to write a book SearingTruth some of your stuff is profound and right on!

[searingtruth]

... So once again, let us be clear and unambiguous in our demands. And today it is your duty as an American citizen to contact your Senators and Representatives and personally voice these demands to them:

President Bush and Vice President Cheney have committed high treason against the United States of America and must be impeached and removed from office according to the rules and laws set forth in our Constitution.

They have claimed that they are no longer subject to the authority of the judicial or legislative branches of our government, and may ignore any law they wish at anytime. They have even claimed that the President may "sign" a law, while simultaneously signing another statement claiming he is free to ignore it. They have established a network of unconstitutional secret prisons, where both foreign and domestic citizens who have been illegally abducted are sent indeterminately, without charge or representation. Some have been tortured, and some have even been murdered. They have single handedly erased our sacred and traditional rights to privacy by claiming they may place anyone they wish under surveillance at any time, even going so far as to specifically claim they may ignore FISA laws. They have started an illegal preemptive war that has needlessly taken the lives of almost 3,000 of our bravest and most noble fighting men and women. ...

ST, from my latest blog
www.searingtruth.com

SearingTruth wrote:

"Way to much Rush Limbaugh."

"Hint: Never get your talking points from a lying drug addict."

Bwahahahahahahaha - it's funny because it's true.

[observantx]

"It's bad in Iraq. That help?"

No. It does not, you spoiled selfish ignororamus. You are living proof that ignorance is curable but stupidity is bone deep. Your rude snide comment shows you will not or cannot help undo the mess you have created.

You know what? I'm sick to death of you. You need to resign. If you don%u2019t resign you need to be removed. Removed. Impeached. Jailed.

You need to sit in a small cell for the rest of your miserable life to atone for the lies you told that sucked us into Iraq. You need to pay for the blood dripping off your hands. You must repay every single citizen of this nation for your torture, your spying, your false imprisonment, and the dismantling of our Constitution. You remember the Constitution don%u2019t you? The %u201CG*dd*mn piece of paper%u201D that says you can%u2019t do whatever you want.

You and your sycophants are a pack of vermin encrusted jackals gorging on the carnage you have created in the Middle East. I%u2019m not very religious, but I have begun to hope there is a Hell and that a very special place is being prepared for you there.

[searingtruth]

"I've heard of putting your foot in your mouth, but your whole body and an entire country all at once?
That has to be the genius of Karl Rove."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[searingtruth]

"W. Bush has never been a success and now he is haveing his daddy pull his cookies out of the fire again. Except this time it cost three Dead Soldiers a day and two billion tax dollars a week for him to get to play boss like a big boy!"
bluestardad

Sadly so fellow patriot.
ST

"And so death begat death, and suffering begat suffering, until all had been consumed, and all cause lost."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[swingalong]

A New Approach? and then:

" .....a chilly response to the Iraq Study Group's proposals....objecting to talks with Iran and Syria..... refusing major troop withdrawal and vowing no retreat. "

Utterly ridiculous.

We are fools if we think for one second that Bush will ever change. He is clearly incapable of introspection, reason or decency. We are doomed with this deranged, child-like, uncooked individual, who is blind to reality, blind to his endless failures, and blind (and totally indifferent) to the mountains of American and Iraqi dead all around him. You can't be wrong when God's on your side. And you don't count the dead either.

[sanityseeker]

I did not hear a "change of course" in Mr. Bush's press conference. Rejecting diplomacy and insisting on "prevailing" sound very much like "stay the course". Iraq is already divided by ethnic and religious groups, the Kurds and the Shiia have refused to give up their autonomy and oil revenues and chaos is escalating.
A recent article by Seymour Hirsh in the New Yorker suggested that Mr Cheney continues to insist that the only way to win in Iraq is for regime change in Iran. I fear the change of course this administration will enact is escalation of the war invading Iran.

[bluestardad]

WELL SPOKEN scouser345

[bluestardad]

W. Bush has never been a success and now he is haveing his daddy pull his cookies out of the fire again. Except this time it cost three Dead Soldiers a day and two billion tax dollars a week for him to get to play boss like a big boy!