From Bush's
speech today to troops near Seoul: "In Washington, there are some who say that the sacrifice is too great, and
they urge us to set a date for withdrawal before we have completed our mission. Those who are in the fight know better," Bush said, wearing a brown leather bomber jacket over dress pants. "So long as I am the commander in chief,
our strategy in Iraq will be driven by the sober judgment of our military commanders on the ground."
So what do these "military commanders on the ground" have to say?
What they said in October:
U.S. politicians and policymakers' perceptions towards the Iraq war have reached another tipping point: There is now a widespread recognition shared among senior uniformed U.S. military officers and Washington foreign policy analysts that plans to rapidly build up the Iraqi army as a new, independent effective fighting force have failed disastrously.
The Senate heard testimony last week from some of America's top generals that the war in Iraq is going worse than ever and that only 1 out of 119 Iraqi army and security battalions can operate by itself in combat situations without U.S. military backup.
And yesterday?
Plan calls for troops to begin pulling out after December elections
The top U.S. commander in Iraq has submitted a plan to the Pentagon for withdrawing troops in Iraq, according to a senior defense official.
Gen. George Casey submitted the plan to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It includes numerous options and recommends that brigades -- usually made up of about 2,000 soldiers each -- begin pulling out of Iraq early next year.
Dubya? Hello? Anybody there?