Officials: Bush will adopt troop withdrawal
By Matthew Lee and Anne Flaherty - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Sep 11, 2007 18:26:59 EDT

WASHINGTON — President Bush will tell the U.S. this week he plans to reduce the American troop presence in Iraq by about 30,000 by the middle of 2008, but will condition those and further cuts on continued progress, The Associated Press has learned.

In a major television address, probably Thursday, Bush will endorse the recommendations of his top general and top diplomat in Iraq, following their appearance at two days of hearings in Congress, administration officials said. The White House plans to issue a written status report on the so-called “surge” on Friday, they said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Bush’s speech is not yet finally drafted. White House officials were preparing the address even as the U.S. commanding general, David Petraeus, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker were presenting arguments to stay the course in Iraq in a second day of testimony to lawmakers.

The reductions envisioned by the White House mirror those proposed by Petraeus and would leave about 130,000 U.S. troops on the ground by August, roughly the level at which they were before Bush ordered the buildup early this year, the officials said.

In the speech, the president will say he understands the deep concerns Americans have about U.S. involvement in Iraq and their desire to bring the troops home, they said. Bush will say that after hearing from Petraeus and Crocker, he has decided on a way forward that will reduce the number of troops but not abandon Iraq, they said.

The address will stake out a conciliatory tone toward Congress, but Bush will place more conditions on the pace of reductions to the pre-buildup level of 130,000 than Petraeus did.

At the White House on Tuesday, Bush met with House and Senate lawmakers of both parties to discuss Iraq. He publicly pledged to consider their input.

“It’s very important before I make up mind that I consult with leaders of the House and the Senate,” he said.

Bush will also adopt Petraeus’ call for more time to determine the timing and scale of withdrawals below the 130,000 mark and offer to report to Congress in March about such plans, one official said.

White House press secretary Tony Snow said Petraeus and Crocker had presented compelling arguments about “what appears to be trend lines that are pointing to success” and that “if you’ve got something that is succeeding, you want more of it.”

However, he denied that he was offering a preview of what Bush would tell the U.S.

“Whether the president agrees or disagrees, we’re going to find out,” Snow told reporters on Tuesday.

Support from Republicans in Bush’s party for the Iraq war remains on shaky ground in Congress, epitomized by heated questioning Tuesday by Republican senators of the general’s recommendations. But support for the plan has not been lost entirely.

Many rank-and-file Republicans say they are deeply uneasy about keeping troops in Iraq through next summer, but they also remain reluctant to embrace legislation ordering troops home by next spring. Democrats had anticipated that a larger number of Republicans by now would have turned against Bush on the war because of grim poll numbers and the upcoming 2008 elections.

If Republican support for the war holds, as it might for now, Democrats would have to soften their approach if they want to pass an anti-war proposal. But they remain under substantial pressure from voters and politically influential anti-war groups to settle for nothing less than ordering troop withdrawals or cutting off money for the war — legislation that has little chance of passing.

Word of Bush’s plan spread on a day in which several Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sharply questioned Petraeus and Crocker on the Iraq war policy.

“Are we going to continue to invest blood and treasure at the same rate we’re doing now? For what?” asked Sen. Chuck Hagel, who supports legislation setting a deadline to bring troops home.

The exchanges came just a day after Petraeus recommended keeping the bulk of U.S. forces in Iraq —130,000 troops — deployed there through next summer.

Whereas Republicans were once deferential to the thinking of officials running the war, particularly uniformed officers, Hagel and other Republican senators on the panel said they doubted that simply giving war commanders more time would necessarily yield results.

“In my judgment, some type of success in Iraq is possible, but as policymakers, we should acknowledge that we are facing extraordinarily narrow margins for achieving our goals,” said Sen. Richard Lugar, of Indiana, the top Republican on the committee.

Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said he appreciates plans to return troop levels to 130,000 — down from the 168,000 currently in Iraq — but that he wants a longer-term vision other than suggestions that Petraeus and Crocker return to Congress in mid-March to give another assessment.

“Americans want to see light at the end of the tunnel,” Coleman said.

Echoing testimony given to the House on Monday, Petraeus and Crocker acknowledged that Iraq remains largely dysfunctional but said violence in recent months had decreased since the influx of the added 30,000 troops deployed earlier this year.

Crocker said he believed Iraq had “almost completely unraveled” in late 2006 and early 2007. The increased security, if given more time, could pave the way for political reconciliation, he said.

Ellie