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President Bush on Thursday said he would follow the recommendations of Gen. David Petraeus, his top military commander in Iraq, and halt troop cutbacks in July. By then, the number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq will have returned close to the level prior to last year’s surge, which was intended to improve security in the country and give Iraq’s leaders a chance to advance national reconciliation. Bush, in an address from the White House, touted the successes that have been made in Iraq over the past year on several fronts, including in the areas of security and the economy. “It is clear that we are on the right track,” Bush said. Petraeus advocated a 45-day period of “consolidation and evaluation” to follow the current drawdown. The White House said that “conditions on the ground” would determine whether any other troops would be brought home. Bush said he would grant Petraeus all the time he needs to determine the best course forward. In addition, the president, who had breakfast with Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker to discuss the situation with them, announced that Iraq tours would be reduced from 15 months to 12. However, the change would not affect troops currently in the country. “The president is very concerned about the stress on the force, especially when it comes to the families who are at home waiting for their loved ones to get back,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Thursday. Bush’s decision could also have an impact on the presidential race. While Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive GOP nominee, favors staying the course begun with the troop surge, both Democratic hopefuls, Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), favor withdrawing troops and ending the increasingly unpopular war. With cutbacks halted and unlikely to resume until at least September, it appears likely that the July level of about 140,000 troops in Iraq will stay in place as the general election goes into its final stretch. “From our perspective, politics would not enter into it,” Perino told reporters ahead of Bush’s address. “But I could see where others might try to say that it would.” Democrats criticized Bush’s plans. “Today’s announcement by the president can only be described as one step forward and two back,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), adding, “The president still doesn’t understand that America’s limited resources cannot support this endless war that he’s gotten us involved in.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Bush owes the country a better explanation. “The president has taken us into a failed war, he’s taken us deeply into debt and … that debt is taking us into recession,” Pelosi said. “We need some answers from the president.” |
