Eager to show newly empowered Democrats that he is open to fresh ideas about Iraq, President Bush and his top advisers met Monday with the bipartisan Iraq Study Group.
“The opposition party won — won the Senate and the House,” Bush said during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. “What’s interesting is that they’re beginning to understand that with victory comes responsibilities.”
Bush spent an hour and 15 minutes with the study group, which is headed by former Secretary of State James Baker III, a Republican, and former Democratic Congressman Lee Hamilton
“I was pleased to meet with them,” Bush said. “I was impressed by the questions they asked. They want us to succeed in Iraq, just like I want to succeed.”
The president declined to answer a question about whether he would go along with the study group if it ends up recommending a specific timetable to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq. The president has long opposed setting such a timetable, saying it would embolden the enemy.
The office of presumptive Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., issued a statement complaining that “the administration dismisses calls for timetables.” The statement said a proposal by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., for “phased withdrawals” of U.S. troops “will push Iraqis to take responsibility for bringing stability to their country.”
Mindful of the Baker-Hamilton group’s lack of military experience, Bush stressed the importance of deferring to commanders in Iraq.
“I believe it is very important for people making suggestions to recognize that the best military options depend upon the conditions on the ground,” he said.
To that end, the president emphasized that Iraq is also being studied by a group of Pentagon experts, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“I’m looking forward to interesting ideas,”Bush said of the Baker-Hamilton report, which is due within weeks. “In the meantime, Gen. Pete Pace is leading investigations within the Pentagon as to how to reach our goal, which is success, a government which can sustain, govern and defend itself.”
