jetdawgg
06-30-07, 09:45 AM
By Maura Reynolds and Peter Spiegel, Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times
Published June 29, 2007
NEWPORT, R.I. -- Faced with eroding support even among longtime Republican allies in Congress, President Bush argued Thursday that the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq is working and urged Americans and lawmakers to give the military operation more time to succeed.
In a speech to military scholars at the U.S. Naval War College, the president gave his own report on the plan's progress, detailing what he described as "good results" attributable to the buildup he authorized in the winter, including a decrease in sectarian killings and the capture of insurgent leaders.
Although he acknowledged setbacks and uneven progress, Bush made his most detailed case to date that the so-called surge is working and emphasized that the last brigade of additional troops had arrived in Iraq just weeks ago.
"It's a well-conceived plan by smart military people, and we owe them the time and we owe them the support they need to succeed," Bush said.
While expressing frustration with the Iraqi government's failure to enact political reforms, he appealed for leniency, saying that even "long-established democracies" work slowly. Bush's comments come at a time when popular and congressional support for the war -- and the troop increase initiated in January -- has diminished.
Earlier this week, a key administration ally, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee and a leading voice on international affairs, said in a speech on the Senate floor that he could no longer support the strategy.
The progress cited by Bush consisted of a mix of small tactical gains and broader signs that the Iraqi government was more effective in providing security for its people.
Bush said that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had lived up to his commitments to provide troops for the new security plan and had effectively dealt with the fallout after the recent bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra. "They're becoming more capable and coming closer to the day when they can assume responsibility for defending their own country," Bush said.
The developments cited by Bush have been the subject of debate, however. For instance, U.S. military commanders in recent weeks have raised questions about the Iraqi army's ability to take over anytime soon. In addition, one of the advances cited by Bush, involving cooperation between U.S. forces and Sunni Arab sheiks in Anbar province, was under way before the start of the troop buildup. That initiative suffered a significant setback when several of the sheiks were assassinated in the bombing of a Baghdad hotel earlier this week.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-bush1jun29,1,6553815.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=2&cset=true
Published June 29, 2007
NEWPORT, R.I. -- Faced with eroding support even among longtime Republican allies in Congress, President Bush argued Thursday that the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq is working and urged Americans and lawmakers to give the military operation more time to succeed.
In a speech to military scholars at the U.S. Naval War College, the president gave his own report on the plan's progress, detailing what he described as "good results" attributable to the buildup he authorized in the winter, including a decrease in sectarian killings and the capture of insurgent leaders.
Although he acknowledged setbacks and uneven progress, Bush made his most detailed case to date that the so-called surge is working and emphasized that the last brigade of additional troops had arrived in Iraq just weeks ago.
"It's a well-conceived plan by smart military people, and we owe them the time and we owe them the support they need to succeed," Bush said.
While expressing frustration with the Iraqi government's failure to enact political reforms, he appealed for leniency, saying that even "long-established democracies" work slowly. Bush's comments come at a time when popular and congressional support for the war -- and the troop increase initiated in January -- has diminished.
Earlier this week, a key administration ally, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee and a leading voice on international affairs, said in a speech on the Senate floor that he could no longer support the strategy.
The progress cited by Bush consisted of a mix of small tactical gains and broader signs that the Iraqi government was more effective in providing security for its people.
Bush said that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had lived up to his commitments to provide troops for the new security plan and had effectively dealt with the fallout after the recent bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra. "They're becoming more capable and coming closer to the day when they can assume responsibility for defending their own country," Bush said.
The developments cited by Bush have been the subject of debate, however. For instance, U.S. military commanders in recent weeks have raised questions about the Iraqi army's ability to take over anytime soon. In addition, one of the advances cited by Bush, involving cooperation between U.S. forces and Sunni Arab sheiks in Anbar province, was under way before the start of the troop buildup. That initiative suffered a significant setback when several of the sheiks were assassinated in the bombing of a Baghdad hotel earlier this week.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-bush1jun29,1,6553815.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=2&cset=true