Bush Envisions Possible Troop Cutbacks

But President Gives No Withdrawal Timetable As he Makes Surprise Visit To Iraq

(CBS/AP)  President Bush raised the possibility Monday of U.S. troop cuts in Iraq if security continues to improve, traveling here secretly to assess the war before a showdown with Congress.

The president was joined by his war cabinet and military commanders at an unprecedented meeting in Iraq over eight hours at this dusty military base in the heart of Anbar province, 120 miles west of Baghdad.

Mr. Bush did not say how large a troop withdrawal might be possible or whether it might occur before next spring when the first of the additional 30,000 troops he ordered to Iraq this year are to start coming home anyway. He emphasized that any cut would depend upon progress.

After talks with Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commandeer in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Mr. Bush said they "tell me if the kind of success we are now seeing continues, it will be possible to maintain the same level of security with fewer American forces."

"If we're able to redeploy at some point in time - I would hope so," Mr. Bush told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric in Iraq. "Because the stakes are very high. Failure in Iraq could be a disaster for the United States."

Couric traveled with Petraeus this week to Fallujah in Anbar province, once a stronghold of the insurgency, and reports the troop surge appears to have helped quell much of the violence there.

Mr. Bush's trip was a dramatic move to steal the thunder from the Democratic Congress as it returns to Washington with fresh hopes of ending the unpopular war, now in its fifth year. Petraeus and Crocker will testify before lawmakers next week, and then Mr. Bush will announce how he intends to proceed in Iraq.

"The president was laying down his marker today," says CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer. "Congress comes back to Washington tomorrow demanding that he start withdrawing our troops from a very unpopular war."

The president thanked the 10,000 servicemen and -women, mostly Marines, stationed here in the sweltering 115-degree heat, reports Couric.

"What you're doing here is making this country safer and I thank you for your hard work," Mr. Bush said.

On Air Force One after leaving Iraq, Mr. Bush acknowledged that his comment about troop reductions had piqued interest. "Maybe I was intending to do that," the president said, sitting around a table with reporters in his plane's conference room as he flew to Australia to meet with Asia-Pacific leaders.

"If you look at my comments over the past eight months, it's gone from a security situation in the sense that we're either going to get out and there will be chaos, or more troops," the president said. "Now the situation has changed where I'm able to speculate on the hypothetical."

Still, Mr. Bush struck a defiant note about demands for bringing troops home.

Standing before troops cheering "hooah," Mr. Bush said decisions on force levels "will be based on a calm assessment by our military commanders on the conditions on the ground - not a nervous reaction by Washington politicians to poll results in the media.

"In other words," Mr. Bush said, "when we begin to draw down troops from Iraq, it will be from a position of strength and success, not from a position of fear and failure."

[crater7]

NO SURPRISE HERE. ANOTHER POLITICAL PUSH FOR THE GOP.
MAYBE MR BUSH CAN GET OUT AND VISIT THE IRAQI PEOPLE, AND STROLL DOWN THAT SAFE STREED THAT MCCAIN TALKED ABOUT.

STAY THE COURSE

[mcvet]

More of the same tired old talk with the same tired old results. This Mad Man will distroy this nation if REAL Republican''s do not trash him. He is the most hated man on this planet and even our Former Allies fear him much more than the Terrorist. When you see things like that you know how impossible this invasion and occupation of a nation that posed no threat to this nation really is. We need a new leader and if Bush wasn''t insane, completely out of touch with reality, he''d resign for that new leadership. Sieg Heil Bush!!

[iceman_1960]

"The mission to shore up support for the war was shared with only a small circle of White House staffers and members of the media, who were told that if news of his trip leaked early, it would be scrapped."

If Bush had been travelling to South Korea, the trip would not have to be made as a surprise.

Bush''s fearful precautions give the lie to his rhetoric.

[truthspeake2]

I''m sure that GW has the best security that our tax dollars could buy...what a shame that our service personnel and the Iraq civilians don''t!

[radiob-2009]

Rescuers used bare hands and shovels Wednesday to claw through clay houses shattered by an onslaught of suicide bombings that killed at least 250 and possibly as many as 500 members of an ancient religious sect in the deadliest attack of the Iraq.

- More than 500 people were killed in last week''''s suicide truck bombings that targeted the minority Yazidi community in northern Iraq, the Iraqi Red Crescent said on Wednesday.



This was the "nation" of "Iraq" defining moment.
Where is their UNITY?
This attack similiar to our 9-11 and where is the Iraqi unity?
We (America) get it, do you Malki?
We (America) get it, do you Bush?

[zootallures2]

Great. Don''t let him come back. He''ll be right at home with child killing troops, al-cia-da, MI666, Mossadism, and the 2007 B.C. torturing Babylonian nut jobs. He can dress up in a red suit with pitch fork and pretend he''s satan.

[gkc99]

Why doesn''t Bushit the Decider stay there and gloriously lead "his" troops into battle?

Because Bushit is a coward, as he has showed many times, not just with his conduct during the Vietnam war, but often in his pathetic need to avoid any sight or sound of dissent. The man is craven. A personal coward, spineless, chickenshit, a wimp, a ***.

[grazinggoat]

CBS News: ''The president has described what he calls "bottom-up" progress in Iraq and often cites a drop in violence in Anbar Province, once a hotbed of insurgency.''

-Walking-Liar should have started to install a military government in Iraq, if he really . Obviously using the previous military that was alreday available in Iraq. Military people understand each others. Once order and quiet are established in Iraq, a transfer to a more democratic country would have been easier. A chaos-inheriting government is hard to sustain, maintain and make dominate the country...

-Liar, I''m skeptical you even dared do this and being shot at. Such a cowardice icon! LOL!

[zootallures2]

Lead the troops into battle little Georgie. Get the zionist hollywood wack jobs to televise it as a new reality show. You the first week, then Olmert, the horse of saud, Tony Blair.... good times! Yea boiy

[iceman_1960]

"President Bush... using the war zone as a backdrop..."

No flightsuit this time.

No "Mission Accomplished" banners.

Sneaking into Iraq like a thief in the night.

The question is now, will David Petraeus resist all the Bush administration pressure to give a rosy picture of the war ?

Or will David betray us ?

[pepperp1]

Until the Dems pull 17 Co Dependent Republican Senators away for Bush and the party corruption appears to be too deep for that to happen Congress can do nothing to reign in the GOP excesses. We will not leave Iraq until Bush is gone, the Sept report is a ruse it was always about staying the course, nothing changed in fact the political climate declined more Iraqi blood, for America more wasted money pissed away spent on Iraq and GOP Donors The stupid PR campaign is not fooling anyone, Bush lied and failed as he has since he took office, not one is fooled except the willing.


The war has continued against the will of the American People and the GOP and their party faithful have steadfastly stood against America and our Interest.


Unfortunate, but our next President will have to disentangle the troops that actually is probably best the GOP and their Political Sect Leader Bush and poodle General can not be trusted to remove our troops safety through incompetence or feign incompetence.


There has been no political progress in Iraq during the Surge, zero no matter how Bush and his dancing corrupt puppeteers portray this spending throwaway and now he wants 50 Billion more under Bush our Deficits has increased by 57 percent.

This GOP and their super Lobbies have betrayed America and done great harm.
Bush has increased our national debt by 57 percent a massive obligation and it is not Bush or his donors who will pay that bill everyday.

[iceman_1960]

"Why doesn''t Bushit the Decider stay there and gloriously lead "his" troops into battle?"
- Posted by gkc99 at 08:48 AM : Sep 03, 2007

Julius Caesar led the troops in person in his conquest of Gaul.

In battle Caesar wore a purple robe so that both friend and foe could distinguish him from the other Romans.

If Bush did something like that, just think of the public relations bonanza it would be for the stay-the-course side !

[skyk-2009]

Mr. Bush met on Friday with his top military chiefs at the Pentagon who expressed concern about a growing strain on American troops and their families from long and often multiple combat tours.

If Iraq had posed a threat to this nation or if they actually had the Weapons Bush Claimed there would be reason for this. The way it is we are allowing an arrogant little coward to break our military, ignore the people and conduct a war that has no meaning. It doesn''t take very much intelligence to see failure.. when you have been "Freeing" the people of a country for five years, that''s FAILURE! With the removal of the dictator we gave these people what they said they wanted... the problem is they either didn''t want it or have no idea how to deal with it once they had it. Regardless it''s not worth AMERICAN Lives, NOT ONE!!

[iceman_1960]

"Sneaking into Iraq like a thief in the night."

It would have been better for Bush not to go to Iraq at all, than to sneak in.

It shows what little confidence he has in the ability of the troops there to provide security.

[iceman_1960]

USA''s PLEDGE 2 THE WORLD GIVEN BY MARTIN SHEEN !!

"I have been accused of being a traitor, and I have been accused of not supporting the military. Nothing could be further from the truth. The leaders are the ones who make the decisions. The soldiers do not have the choice. I support the soldiers as human beings. This Administration has led us into an area without vision. Bush has no clear understanding of what is being asked of the citizens, and the military is under his direction." - Martin Sheen

[radiob-2009]

Will David Petraeus resist all the Bush administration pressure to give a rosy picture of the war ?

If its "rosy" why are we there?
"Iraq" had its moment to define itself when the 500 Yaziks were murdered less than a mth. ago.
They defined themselves by continuing the multiple civil wars Shiite on Shiite, Sunni on Sunni, Shiite on Sunni and vice versa, and outside foreign fighers all waging war. This is their "defining" of the "non nation Iraq" .

[perception5]

It''s nice to see our President working.

Any idea when those lazy Democrats who run our 110th Do-Nothing Congress are coming back off their month long vacation? Not that it matters much because the American people don''t expect them to get anything done "productive".

We''ll sure we will continue to see the "political lynchings" and America''s corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack press will make sure they cover these lynchings in full support of their fellow pals, the Democrats

Really sad indeed.

[trillion1]

This is such a transparent PR ploy it''s a new low even for bush.

[iceman_1960]

The war president. The commander guy. The decider. ("Now watch this drive.")

"I made it very plain: We will not have an all-volunteer army. [Crowd boos] Let me restate that. We will not have a draft. [Crowd Cheers]"

- George W. Bush, speaking at the Daytona International Speedway with his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, October 16, 2004.

[gkc99]

"It''''s nice to see our President working.
Any idea when those lazy Democrats who run our 110th Do-Nothing Congress are coming back off their month long vacation?"--Posted by perception5


That''s a joke, right, troll?

Bushit has taken more vacations than any president in living memory. The man has not done a day''s work in his life, spoiled little silver spoon brat that he is.

For example, it is reported today that the day before hurricane Katrina hit, Bushit was out playing on his bike.

The little dweeb is a kid who never grew up.

What''s your excuse for stupidity?

[iceman_1960]

"It''s nice to see our President working."
- Posted by perception5 at 09:14 AM : Sep 03, 2007

Too bad his plans in Iraq aren''t.

If they were, after 4+ years he wouldn''t have to sneak into the country like that.

"Really sad indeed."
- Posted by perception5 at 09:14 AM : Sep 03, 2007

Yes it is.

[iceman_1960]

"...first lady Laura Bush said she was staying home to tend to a pinched nerve in her neck."

It''s nice to see our President has been playing as well.

[perception5]

So the question still stands..........When do the lazy Democrats in our Do-Nothing Democrat Congress with their historically low approval rating of 18% get back from their month long vacation?

What "productive" progress are Amerians going to see between now and next November 2008?

Any ideas?

1. Social Security

2. Medicare

3. Tort reform

any predictions..........(probably not)

It "really" is sad.

[iceman_1960]

How unpopular is Congress ?

45% of Americans say Congress is doing a poor job.

61% say Bush is doing a poor job.

Sources:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/congressional_performance

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/political_updates/president_bush_job_approval

[perception5]

I''m sorry I said that our Do Nothing Democrat Congress''s approval rating was at 18%. It''s really at 17% with 2% who think there doing a "super job". (probably from Iceman and other contaminted ones)

It is really sad. How low can we go?


Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Advertisment
Voters continue to look askance at the performance of the U.S. Congress. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey indicates that only 17% are able to say that the performance of that legislative body is Good (15%) or Excellent (2%).

[abbe91]

"How unpopular is Congress ?
45% of Americans say Congress is doing a poor job.
61% say Bush is doing a poor job.
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 09:32 AM : Sep 03, 2007"

I would suggest starting impeachment for Bush and Cheney. That would improve the 45% score. Why should it be off the table ?
And also getting rid of more of the GOP pedophiles ...

I hope this will take care of deception5''s silly questions ...

[abbe91]

"I''''m sorry I said that our Do Nothing Democrat Congress''''s approval rating was at 18%. It''''s really at 17% with 2% who think there doing a "super job". (probably from Iceman and other contaminted ones)."

There are still repugs in Congress, if you didn''t know. Some left from the 109th rubberstamp, do-nothing else that lick Bush''s a/s/s/ republican congress.

[perception5]

Don''t worry liberals your pals in our corrupt liberal press will continue to "contaminate" you.

.........More really sad Facts:


- From Rasmussen Reports, the American people have spoken and this is what they agree on:


"Sunday, July 22, 2007

In the final poll of a series measuring perceptions of media bias, the Associated Press, local television stations, MSNBC, and CNBC are all perceived as tilting to the left when reporting the news.

Earlier releases showed that Americans tend to believe the major broadcast networks (CBS,NBC,ABC) CNN, and NPR have a liberal bias. Fox News is seen as having a bias in the other direction. In print, the New York Times, Washington Post, and local newspapers were also seen as having a liberal bias."

.....SO......when? is our liberal MSM wolfpack gong to implement "affirmative action" programs that include NOT EXCLUDE "moderates" and "conservative".

And we wonder why our corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack press hasn''t had "big stories" reporting these opinions from the American public.

Gee.........we wonder why.

[abbe91]

"Earlier releases showed that Americans tend to believe the major broadcast networks (CBS,NBC,ABC) CNN, and NPR have a liberal bias. Fox News is seen as having a bias in the other direction. In print, the New York Times, Washington Post, and local newspapers were also seen as having a liberal bias."

As Colbert would say, reality also has a liberal bias. Go figure ...

[radiob-2009]

1700 Iraqis killed in July, 1800 in August (second highest mth this yr) Shiite on Shiite, Sunni on Sunni, Shiite on Sunni, and foreign fighters attacking and killing anyone sponsored by UAE,Saudia Arabia, Iran and Syria where is the MARSHALL LAW on Iraq? 520 killed in one village last mth. where is the unity?
Vehicles are the primary source of all attacks where is the gas rationing, gas id cards,odometer readings,gas locks, and titles that tie to the vehicle to the owner?

[rafterman1]

The anti-America coward perception5 is at it again, dividing Americans every opportunity he gets. You are like the playground weasel who tries to start fights between other kids, then slinks away to watch the action.

[afmca]

How did Bush start his greeting to the troops? Could it be .. I am the man who still cannot provide enough armored Humvees to keep you safe. Who honors your glory after you are maimed by trying to decrease funding for your rehabilitation. Who keeps you in this god forsaken place because I have never had any military strategy to actually win; but have made Cheney''s Halliburton wealthy beyond reproach. As you try to build democracy in anarchy, I am creating anarchy from democracy at home. In 1+ years I won''t care, but you will still be here. By the way .. gotta go .. off to Australia.

[pastdue1]

The turnaround occurred when Sunni Arab leaders joined forces with U.S. troops to hunt down members of al Qaeda, although it''s unclear whether they''ll back a unified Iraqi government as well. "
How can we justify arming an enemy of the government that we installed and claiming is the face of democracy in Iraqi? Could Saudi Arabia be twisting some arms? Or is this just another ploy to continue "staying the course?"

[abbe91]

"The Taliban are islamic fundamentalists."

Like there are christian fundamentalists.

"There are the so-called "moderate" Muslims (the ones who are simply Muslim by culture or birth and who do not follow the Quran),"

Same thing.

Posted by singinrick at 09:56 AM : Sep 03, 2007

Christians in Africa kill people by telling them
that using condoms is wrong. How is this any better than what the Taliban are doing ?
And why were the Taliban ok when we needed them
against the Russians ?

[abbe91]

"ANYANG, South Korea, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- A pastor at the South Korean church whose volunteers were held hostage for six weeks by Afghanistan''''s Taliban said some of the captives were "severely beaten" by the insurgents when they refused to convert to Islam."

One more reason our troops should be in Afghanistan, not in Iraq.

[elmc1]

We were watching 60 minutes last evening 02,2007) and were listening to Scott Pelley tear into Marine Sgt.Frank Wuterich re the incident at Haditha where civilians were killed.by the Sgts,squad. This was a very tragic event but sadly, the fortunes of war. We believe that the manner in which Pelley handled the interview was horrible.He acted as if he were the prosecutor and was trying Sgt Wuterich by raking him over the coals. He even appeared to laud over the Sgt''s situation. The Sgt. was doing his job and doing it well. There was no need for Pelley to appear to "crucify" this man. It is our opinion that the case should be dismissed and the Sargeant sent home free and clear.We feel certain the this will be on the Sgt''s mind forever. Pass the buck to Mr. Bush, who got us all involved in this tragic, stupid war.
(WWII Veteran)

[radiob-2009]

Rick

Two weeks ago the Iraqis had their defining moment when over 500 were killed in one attack.
Did they stand up , did they unite, did they declare Marshall law, did they declare war against those who commited the act?
They stood DOWN as they have been doing.
A nation that is unable to unite is not a nation, a government that is unable to protect its citizens from within or outside sources is not a government.
Shiite on Shiite, Sunni on Sunni, Shiite on Sunni and other foreign forces are waging war.
Where are the "Iraqis" ?

[actornaught]

It''s funny how dense the pooh-flinging ''cons here get about the low approval rating for congress. But i''m sure they''ve seen the reason in print plenty of times, that it''s because the Dems can''t overcome the vetoes, etc. But here''s what it means: after 2008, congress will have even fewer ''pubs.

Also, i see the over-the-top s''ick ugliness posted, wacky accusations, bigoted hate speech. must''ve lost his way, after all, WWJ say?

Then theres ''corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack press''? I can almost see the quivering eyes bugging out, the spit hitting the monitor when creepiness like that is being growled and typed at the same time.

[drummer94]

Sneak in. Sneak out. (think clap-on, clap-off). There he showed the Iraqi people what democracy is about-again. They think he is so brave now, I''d bet. What, he couldn''t give Patraeus his script over the phone? And I wonder if he visited that market. You know, the one that is like a market in Indiana?

[shoebox119]

Bush in Iraq? Great, I hope he''s in uniform and ready to go to work. After all, Junior''s been telling us that "there''s still a lot of hard work to do" before we achieve "total victory." (haven''t heard that one for awhile from the Decider, have we?)

[ramos937]

President Bush has to face up to this. People in DC and Iraq had to have known of his trip today. Secrutiy mandates that. This means that, like every other VIP, the Generals had time to arrange his agenda. Bush will attend skillfully arranged power point presentations; listen to carefully selected American and Iraq speakers; lecture Malaki again and then make short statements like troop morale is very high, he has confidence in Maliki and the like. And then he will fly off to Australia. In his wake, nothing of substance will change.

Two people that the President will not meet with are Mike Ware, CNN and the young cleric who recently suspended his malitia''s operations. Because he will not do so, he will just hear the "company line".

[missingamerica]

Oh [insert religious name here], grant President Bush a safe trip home, and so protect us from Cheney...

[radiob-2009]

From the FBI

During the past decade we have witnessed dramatic changes in the nature of the terrorist threat. In the 1990s, right-wing extremism overtook left-wing terrorism as the most dangerous domestic terrorist threat to the country.

[frankly6]

singinrick

Yes the Taliban are bad guys. Why do you think Bush decided to move into Iraq before we finished them off and secured Afghanistan? The Taliban and Al Qaeda now control most of the country again. Afghanistan has also become the worlds top opium producer. But you won''t hear the "liberal MSM" press will you? Of course you won''t hear anything you don''t want to hear.

[ramos937]

If President Bush (or his staff) reads these blogs, I have a sincere respectful request. Please order that Mike Ware, CNN and the young cleric be given whatever time they need (in private if need be) to speak directly with him. These folks could present the other side of the coin and thus he would have a much better idea as to what is going on in Iraq.

God Bless...

[missingamerica]

You who state that Bush will be fed information in Iraq based on the agenda of some General overlook the possibility that Bush went there to give some good old fashioned "I am your Commander Guy, and you will not say anything to the Press which may contradict what the Administration says over the next several weeks." advice to some other Generals, Colonels, Lt. Colonels, Majors, Captains, and First and butterbar Lieutenants...

[radiob-2009]

Rick

Democracy is not the issue it is the total lack of unity in Iraq, no nationhood. They do not possess knowledge of the concept of "one" nation "united" , the attack on the village that wiped out over 500 Iraqis was perpetuated by Al Qaeda. Where is the "Iraqi" brotherhood? Where is the "unity"?

[shoebox119]

"All you have to do is read what Christ told us to do in the Bible..."

Posted by singinrick


I thought jesus says in the bible, "love your enemies and bless them that curse you..." Is that what we''re doing in Iraq? Loving our enemies?

[drummer94]

"The president has described what he cals "bottom-up" progress in Iraq....." Oh, he''s got those folks bottom''s-up alright and been pouring the coal to them for four years. Us for 7.

[v_1618]

BUSH POLICY MADE IRAQ A SANCTUARY OF MILITIAS OF SUNNIS AND SHIITES AND THAT ALLIANCE IS VERY DANGEROUS. ENEMIES OF THE U.S. NOW SUPPORTING BY THE U.S. THE WAR IN IRAQ ESCENCIALLY IS TO TURN ALL THE ENEMIES INTO FRIENDS THIS IS A VERY GOOD GOAL BUT COULD BE THE WORST MISTAKE EVER, IN A FEW WORDS COULD BE THE MOST GENIOUS STRATEGIC EVER SEEN IN A WAR OR THE WORST MISTAKE EVER IN A WAR THAT MEENS IF THE U.S. AFTER PULLOUT TROOPS FROM IRAQ THE LAST HOPE OF THE U.S. IS THAT ALL THE ENEMIES FRIENDS THE U.S. TRANSFORM. DON''T TURN AGAINST ITSELF THAT COULD BE WHEN ALL THE ENEMIES BETWEEN SUNNIES AND SHIITES AND ALQAEDA DON''T TURN ALLIES AGAINST THE U.S.
IS A MATTER OF TIME WE COULD KNOW THAT IN FACT NOBODY KNOWS WHAT''S GONNA HAPPEND IN THE FUTURE.
THE U.S. IS SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE ENEMY OF THEIR ENEMY BUT THAT COULD BRING DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES AND THE TIME ONLY KNOWS...