President Bush ordered a summertime pause in the reduction of forces in Iraq on Thursday and shortened troop deployments from 15 months to 12 months.
Bush said Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, “will have all the time he needs” to take stock of the security situation after a temporary halt in the drawdown at the end of July. That’s when troop levels will fall to about 140,000, or slightly more than the 132,000 in January 2007, when Bush ordered a surge of what turned out to be 36,000 additional troops.
Petraeus then wants to spend 45 days gauging the effect of the reductions before recommending when further cuts should take place.
In a speech from the Cross Hall of the White House, Bush also announced that “Army units will have at least a year home for every year in the field.” Mindful of the fatigue suffered by soldiers after lengthy and repeated deployments, Bush lavished praise on their service.
“You’ve performed with incredible skill under demanding circumstances,” he said. “The turnaround you have made possible in Iraq is a brilliant achievement in American history.”
By ordering a temporary halt in force reduction, Bush effectively guaranteed a six-figure troop presence in Iraq at least through the November elections and possibly through the inauguration of his successor in January. It was an unapologetic repudiation of Democratic calls for a swift pullout from Iraq.
“Those who say that the way to encourage further progress is to back off and force the Iraqis to fend for themselves are simply wrong,” Bush said.
The president also said success in Iraq would be “a severe setback for Iran,” which he called one of the “greatest threats to America in this new century.” Iran has been sending fighters and weapons across the Iraqi border to kill U.S. troops.
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton accused Bush of implementing a failed surge and added, “As president, I will do what this president has failed to do: Recognize reality and end the war responsibly.”
Her comments were echoed by fellow Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. During a speech in Gary, Ind., Obama complained that the temporary halt in troop reductions this summer means the United States will “have at least 140,000 troops there until the end of the year.”
“In other words, there is no end in sight under the Bush policy,” Obama said. “It is time to bring this war in Iraq to a close.”
