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Politics

Bush gives clues to new Iraq plan

By TIMES WIRES
Published December 14, 2006

WASHINGTON - Saying "our enemy is far from being defeated," President Bush assured U.S. troops Wednesday that he would come up with a better plan for victory in Iraq.

"I've heard some ideas that would lead to defeat, and I reject those ideas - ideas such as leaving before the job is done," Bush said after a Pentagon briefing. "We're not going to give up. The stakes are too high and the consequences too grave to turn Iraq over to extremists."

The president's comments offered clues to his thinking as he prepares to announce a revised policy for Iraq early next month. He said he's looking for a plan that combines military action, political reconciliation, economic development and diplomatic efforts to get more help from Iraq's regional neighbors.

The resolute tone of his remarks may have delivered his clearest message: Standing with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, Bush assured U.S. troops that he has no intention of leaving Iraq until they finish the job of establishing a stable democracy.

Speaking to the troops, he declared his "unshakable commitment" to his goals for Iraq. "We're going to give you the tools necessary to succeed," he said, "and a strategy to help you succeed."

That was in stark contrast to the tone of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group's report, unveiled last week. Its opening words: "The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating."

Bush described a fight pitting allied U.S. and Iraqi forces against "the enemy" - which he defined at one point as "terrorists and insurgents and death-squad leaders." The study group said U.S. troops face a complex mix of spreading sectarian violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslim Iraqis; anti-American insurgents; and a relatively small number of al-Qaida terrorists.

The group's report also made clear that sectarian militiamen have infiltrated Iraq's military and police units and that many soldiers and police are more loyal to radical clerics than to the central Iraqi government.

The next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee sided with the study group on Wednesday.

"Nothing will get the attention of the Iraqi leaders like the prospect of some American troops leaving Iraq," Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said in a speech endorsing the study group's approach.

Bush didn't address reports that his military advisers are considering sending as many as 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq to help train Iraqi security forces. The study group said a surge of advisers to join the 140,000 troops already in Iraq could help clear the way for withdrawal.

"I've heard interesting ideas," Bush said. "At the appropriate time, I will stand up ... and say, 'Here's where we're headed.' "

IN OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

At least 55 killed as violence continues

BAGHDAD - A new round of car bombings and other violence struck Iraq on Wednesday, with 55 people killed or found dead. The violence came ahead of a national reconciliation conference scheduled for Saturday. Among the major incidents, at least 17 people were killed Wednesday in car bombings against Shiite and Sunni targets in Baghdad. North of Baghdad, seven bodies were found in Mosul and two people were killed by roadside bombs in Kirkuk. Two car bombs also struck the headquarters of the Iraqi army's 2nd Battalion near Kirkuk, killing four soldiers. Gunmen killed a nine-member Shiite family in Hasna.

Defense officials reject criticism

WASHINGTON - To dispute one criticism from the Iraq Study Group's report, the Defense Intelligence Agency is disclosing the number of analysts devoted to Iraq. The count: 300-plus, with 49 focused exclusively on the insurgency. Last week's report from the Iraq Study Group said the DIA has fewer than 10 analysts with more than two years of experience studying the insurgency. A spokesman for the Iraq Study Group, Ian Larsen, said the information came from an individual who was interviewed by the group and was promised confidentiality. "The ISG stands by its report," Larsen said on Wednesday.

Soldier won't face death penalty

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - The Army dropped the death penalty Wednesday as a possible sentence for Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, 22, who is charged with rape and murder in the deaths of a 14-year-old girl and three others in Iraq. Spielman now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted. Spielman is one of four soldiers charged in the March 12 attack. Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, 24, is the only soldier now facing possible execution if convicted. Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, 19, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted in a court-martial next year.

[Last modified December 14, 2006, 00:57:26]