Bush Unveils "New" Iraq Strategy

By Daniela Deane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 30, 2005; 10:45 AM



President Bush, facing increasing impatience with the war in Iraq, went on the offensive today, releasing a detailed strategy plan and then delivering a major speech in an attempt to show the country the administration has a clear strategy for victory in Iraq.

The White House released a 35-page " National Strategy for Victory in Iraq " this morning, three hours before the president delivered a 50-minute speech on the war at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. It's the first in a series of speeches Bush will deliver in the run-up to the Dec. 15 elections in Iraq outlining the American political, security and economic strategies there.


The White House offensive comes as continued deadly violence in Iraq and the deaths of more than 2,000 U.S. troops and the wounding of some 16,000 others chip away at Bush's popularity, now at its lowest level since he became president.

In his speech, Bush outlined the progress Iraqi security forces have made in taking over responsibility for the security of the embattled country. He also discussed successes that Iraq has made on the political front over the past two-and-a-half years.

He repeated, though, that U.S. forces will not be withdrawn from Iraq until the "mission is complete."

"America will not run in the face of car bombers and assassins," Bush told the audience of uniformed U.S. Navy midshipmen. "America will not abandon Iraq."

The new report issued by the White House says the U.S. strategy is working in Iraq, but victory will take time and many challenges remain. It also outlined how the United States defines victory in Iraq, why it is vital to U.S. interests, who the enemy is and how the strategy is being implemented.

"No war has ever been won on a timetable and neither will this one," said the document. "But lack of a timetable does not mean our posture in Iraq (both military and civilian) will remain static over time."

The administration expects the number of U.S. forces in Iraq -- currently about 160,000 -- will decrease over the next year as the "political process advances and Iraqi security forces grow and gain experience," according to the document. While the U.S. military presence "may becomes less visible, it will remain lethal and decisive, able to confront the enemy wherever it may organize."

The plan says increasing numbers of Iraqi troops have been equipped and trained, a democratic government is taking shape and Iraq's economy is being rebuilt. It said the United States was pursuing victory on the political, security and economic fronts.

"Failure is not an option," the document said, citing three principal reasons: Iraq would become a safe haven for terrorists, Middle East reformers would never trust U.S. resolve again, and the ensuing tribal and sectarian chaos in Iraq would have major consequences for U.S. interests in the region.

"It is not realistic to expect a fully functioning democracy, able to defeat its enemies and peacefully reconcile generational grievances, to be in place less than three years after Saddam was finally removed from power," the report said.

The White House document identified the "enemy" in Iraq as "diffuse and sophisticated," a combination of Iraqis who reject democratic reforms, Saddam loyalists and al-Qaeda inspired terrorists.

The Bush administration's political strategy in Iraq, the report says, involves isolating enemy elements, engaging those outside the political process and building stable national institutions.

The report repeats the administration's claim that Iraq is the "central front in the global war on terror." It said "failure in Iraq will embolden terrorists and expand their reach; success in Iraq will deal them a decisive and crippling blow."

It says the administration defines victory in Iraq in three stages -- short term, medium term and longer term. In the short term, "Iraq is making steady progress in fighting terrorists, meeting political milestones, building democratic institutions, and standing up security forces."

"Our mission in Iraq is to win the war," the document said. "Our troops will return home when that mission is complete."