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Bush defends decision to halt troop cutbacks in July |
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By Jim Snyder
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Posted: 04/12/08 11:39 AM [ET] |
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On the heels of Gen. David Petraeus’s testimony on Capitol Hill, President Bush used his weekly radio address Saturday to highlight the progress made in Iraq over the past 15 months, saying that the “surge” in American forces had “revived the prospect” of success there. Speaking from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Bush noted Petraeus’ desire to halt the reduction in military forces after July to study the effect of the drawn down and determine if and when troop cutbacks should continue. “I’ve told him he’ll have [all the] time he needs to make his assessment,” Bush said. “Our job in the period ahead is to stand with the Iraqi government as it makes its transition to responsibility for its own security and its own destiny.” Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky, who gave the Democratic radio address, sought to tie the costs of the Iraq war to the poor performance of the U.S. economy. “At a time when our nation scrambles for new ways to stimulate the economy, the money we ship outside our borders to Iraq – at least $2.5 billion per week and $10 billion a month – is not only linked to our economic skid, but is a leading cause of it,” Yarmuth said. As millions of Americans hustle this weekend to complete their tax returns by the April 15 deadline, the money being funneled to Iraq would be better spent repairing “crumbling” roads and bridges, lowering healthcare costs, or increasing the number of Pell Grants available to college students, Yarmuth said. |
