Bush Puts Hard Sell On His Iraq Plan

President Reviews Troop Increase In Speech To Soldiers At Fort Benning

(CBS/AP)  One day after President Bush announced his strategy for Iraq in a prime-time address to the nation, he took his plan — to increase U.S. forces in Iraq by 21,500 and demand greater cooperation from Iraq's government — on the road.

To start selling his plan, reports CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod, Mr. Bush picked about the friendliest audience he could find: soldiers at Fort Benning, Ga.

"The situation in Iraq is difficult, no question about it," Mr. Bush told about 300 soldiers and family members. "... It's important for our fellow citizens to understand that failure in Iraq would be a disaster for our future."

He said new brigades sent to Iraq will focus on quelling sectarian violence in urban areas, particularly Baghdad.

"They will help Iraqis take the lead in securing neighborhoods," Mr. Bush said. "They will have a clear and defined mission."

The mood was polite but muted, reports Axelrod. It was more somber than usual for a president talking to soldiers – perhaps because a surge means some of these troops will deploy to Iraq for their fourth or fifth tours.

While the president was taking his plan on the road Thursday, his top administration officials were out in force working to persuade a skeptical Democratic-led Congress to accept Mr. Bush's troop buildup as the last best chance for reversing Iraq's slide.

"All Americans know that the stakes in Iraq are enormous, and we all share the belief that the situation is currently unacceptable. On this we are united," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters.

Regardless, the plan drew fierce opposition from congressional Democrats, but the Senate's top Republican threatened a filibuster to block any legislation expressing disapproval of the plan.

Democrats had already pounced on Mr. Bush's plan to increase troops in Iraq as a bad mistake that ignores public sentiment and the advice of top generals.

"In choosing to escalate the war, the president virtually stands alone," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a Senate speech. However, he promised to give the plan careful consideration.

Many Republicans, too, are clearly tired of the war, which has cost more than 3,000 American troops their lives, and played a major role in the Democratic takeover of Congress in last fall's elections.

"At this late stage, interjecting more young American troops into the crossfire of an Iraqi civil war is simply not the right approach," said Rep. Ric Keller, R-Fla. "We are not going to solve an Iraqi political problem with an American military solution," he said in remarks on the House floor.

And Americans' opinions were not swayed very much by President Bush's Wednesday evening speech outlining his new strategy for the war in Iraq, according to a CBS News poll.

Fifty percent of those who saw the speech said they disapprove of the president's proposals, while 37 percent said they approve. Just one-third of those surveyed said they support Mr. Bush's call to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq.

Following the speech, 68 percent of Americans — the same number as prior to the speech — said they were uneasy about the president's ability to make decisions about Iraq.

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Read more about the CBS News poll
Key Elements Of Bush Plan
Speech Excerpts
Congressional Response
World Reaction

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Ahead of testimony on Capitol Hill, Gates told a White House briefing it remains unclear how long the military buildup ordered by Mr. Bush will last.

"It's viewed as a temporary surge, but I think no one has a really clear idea of how long that might be," Gates said.

In a Thursday briefing, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., looked ahead.

"I do not guarantee victory or success with this new strategy," McCain said. "I do guarantee the consequences of failure. If we do fail, then there’s going to be chaos in the region and I believe that we will pay an even heavier price in American blood."

Democrats still spoke out against the proposed buildup. Reid said Mr. Bush ignored the results of November's midterm elections that ended 12 years of GOP control of Congress, ignored the advice of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group and "a significant number of top generals."

"Putting more U.S. combat forces in the middle of a civil war is a mistake," Reid said.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told CBS News' The Early Show that since the new Democratic-led Congress convened last week, "questions are now being asked of this administration that haven't been asked for almost four years."

[dallison7]

Ever notice that whenever Bush wants to sell one of his lies he rushes for a photo-op on a military base where 'support for the commander-in-chief is the order of the day'?

[randalds]

hillaryin08 wrote:

"I know why we went into the Balkans. I was baiting the libs again on the old "they never attacked us" bit."

So your point was to show us that you're an idiot?
Posted by mcdazz at 08:38 AM : Jan 13, 2007

Hey! At least give him (or she or it) credit for doing a wonderful job of proving it!

hillaryin08 wrote:

"I know why we went into the Balkans. I was baiting the libs again on the old "they never attacked us" bit."

So your point was to show us that you're an idiot?

[exusmcsgt]

MarkS7177-

As I always say, Bubba only listens to Rove and God.

His recent decision to ignore the Iraq Study Group, ignore the message from the voting public in November and ignore his generals regarding an escalation in Iraq is just further proof of my contention.

[dani091]

i think that if he gonin to draft that he needs to go his self i'm a twin who has a twin brother that i worried about b/c i think that hes goin to get drafted its hard out here in the world already but kno that bush wants to make it harder its just a matter of time befor the gets out of hand know i know i'm only 17 years old but looking at the world to makes me feel like i don't want to be here. and thats ashame but i can't wait for 2008 so we can get a new president cuz to tell u the truth i would'nt want bush if he was the last man on earth and that from the bottum of heart

[grumpas]

hillaryin08 I am sick to death of hard core conservative's like you who don't have a gram of good common horse sense! What is it going to take for people like you to grow up and face the fact Bush is a liar, cheat and theif! There is nothing admirable about the man! You must be really proud of the fact that you are a card carrying fascist! He is sending a lot of men to their death's for what????? It's already been proven we aren't in Iraq to defend our freedom! Saddam was no threat to us militaryily! There were no weapons of mass destruction, no Saddam/911 connection! So, why are we even there other than we have a President who won't admit he is a liar! One who is a meglomaniac and has designs on the whole middle east! You obviously have very little regard for our army! Otherwise you wouldn't be asking them to die for nothing!

[frankly6]

hillaryin08

The Balkans also was a success because it wasn't handled by incompetents.

[frankly6]

hillaryin08

The Balkans was an actual humanitarian mission. We didn't go there to steal oil.

[hillaryin08]

In case that Jobs thing to other contries comes up again, the answer to the question is................suspence and drumroll..............Algore!

[hillaryin08]

I know why we went into the Balkans. I was baiting the libs again on the old "they never attacked us" bit.

[hillaryin08]

"Midwest Rust Belt States have lost millions of Manufacturing Jobs because of unfair trade practices and the political decisions to send jobs to foreign countries? When will our elected officials turn their priorities to support the will of their electorate?"

Posted by bluestardad at 07:22 AM : Jan 12, 2007

Remember who cast the deciding vote for NAFTA?

[gunnerv1]

hillaryin08, we went there because of the UN

[gunnerv1]

RandalS, where are you? Come out and play, we promis we won't break anything this time. Your Friend, GunnerV. I'm still on line because My Radioactive delivery is not ready for the Researcher. Where are you? I'm at work (Full time)

[hillaryin08]

Kosovo was not a threat either why did we go their? And most of all, where was your outrage then?

[bjlovejoy]

The root problem is that this country has a standing army AT ALL. Our Founding Fathers knew the dangers of having a standing army. History shows that leaders just can't help themselves but to getting into misadventures such as Vietnam and Iraq. A call to arms to the militia, hopefully a well-regulated one, would be MORE than adequate to fend off any REAL threat to this country. Note that the president's responsibility in the Constitution is to defend the United States proper.

Sending troops halfway around the world to defend "American interests" (read oil) is NOT, I repeat, is NOT a legitimate use of deadly force.

Can you imagine the government trying to rally up support for gathering up common citizens, who make up our militia, and sending them around the world to "protect our interests"? There's no way anyone would put up with that nonsense.

The Democrats have promised to continue funding for our current troops. They are every bit as committed to a standing army as are the Republicans. Both parties are an equal threat to our long term survival as a country.

[hillaryin08]

We had two choices libs, cut and run or stay and fight. Looks like we're going to stay and fight.
Your not going to get an impeachment or a funding cut either. Your leadership knows they don%u2019t have the votes for impeachment and the president holds the cards on the funding for this war. Sure their will be investigations and the usual hype in the media but at the end of the day, your not going to get what you want and they still got your vote.

[luvny-2009]

exusmcsgt - BINGO

[exusmcsgt]

As I said yesterday, this is all about Bubba avoiding two INEVITABLE truths.

First, that his legacy will be that of a moron.

Secondly, that he and the Neocons played right into Iran's hands by destroying a united Iraq.

[luvny-2009]

I think that moron knows exactly what he's doing, he's trying to put the blame elsewhere. If congress says no then he blames them, if they send out kids and we know it will just be a bandaid then he blames Iraq. It's a win win for that a$$hole.

[bluestardad]

This escalation of Iraq combat has not been approved by Congress and the President does not have the right to escalate the war. It is time the Iraqi people took responsibility for their own country. The President%u2019s stated reasons for war with Iraq in the original mandate from congress does not apply and has been proven false on every point, at the cost of 3 American lives a day and two billion tax dollars a week. Congress must act to stop all funds for this war now and bring our troops home. November 7, 2006 was a mandate to stop the war in Iraq and the Culture of Corruption in Washington. What great things could American domestic programs do with two billion dollars a week we are spending in Iraq?
Billions of Dollars in Job Creation funds have been spent in Iraq and are now requested for Iraq. What elected official either in the House of Representatives or the Senate could with good conscience vote to send Billions of American Tax Dollars to create Jobs and rebuild infrastructure in Iraq while in America coast to coast infrastructure needs repair and the Midwest Rust Belt States have lost millions of Manufacturing Jobs because of unfair trade practices and the political decisions to send jobs to foreign countries? When will our elected officials turn their priorities to support the will of their electorate?