Spring Break
Bush orders gradual reduction of troops
President rejects call to end war
The Associated Press
Issue date: 9/14/07 Section: News
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Still, Bush firmly rejected calls to end the war, saying the insurgents who threaten Iraq's future are a danger to U.S. national security. American troops must stay in the battle, Bush said, and more than 130,000 will remain after the newly ordered withdrawals are completed in July.
"The principle guiding my decisions on troop levels in Iraq is: return on success," the president said.
Bush said 5,700 U.S. forces would be home by Christmas and that four brigades _ at least 21,500 troops _ would return by July, along with an undetermined number of support forces. Now at its highest level of the war, the U.S. troop strength stands at 168,000.
With no dramatic change in course, Bush's decision sets the stage for a fiery political debate in Congress and on the 2008 presidential campaign trail. Democrats said Bush's modest approach was unacceptable.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a former Army Ranger who delivered the Democratic response, said that "once again, the president failed to provide either a plan to successfully end the war or a convincing rationale to continue it."
Reed said Democrats would work to "profoundly change our military involvement in Iraq."
The reductions announced by Bush represented only a slight hastening of the originally scheduled end of the troop increase that Bush announced in January. When the cutbacks are complete, about 132,000 U.S. forces will be in Iraq.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Chuck Wagon
posted 9/14/07 @ 8:58 AM MST
Every point this person made in his speech last night has been contradicted by the Pentagon.
i.e. - there are not 36 countries in Iraq fighting this war, there are only 25 countries represented, providing 7% of the total number of troops and are largely responsible for protecting oil fields. (Continued…)
MR
posted 9/16/07 @ 1:18 PM MST
These are troops that would be been called back anyway unless Bush reinstates the draft, hits up more Reservists, or extends more deployments beyond their already unacceptable lengths. (Continued…)
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