Quite an interesting contrast. On the one hand, Bush has put off an announcement on any new Iraq policy until after Christmas. Now we are being told that whatever the changes may be, they have mostly been decided.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush on Tuesday put off until early next month announcing a new approach to the Iraq war, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Bush should take whatever time necessary to decide his next steps.
The White House initially indicated that Bush might deliver the speech before Christmas.
While administration officials said Bush had largely decided on where he wants to go in terms of a new policy, he gave no public hint of his plan at a meeting with the country's Sunni vice president.
No hint? I imagine we've had all the hints we need. Bush isn't pulling out of Iraq; however, he needs to know how the government will be comprised before he settles into a comfort zone on any new approach.
He already met with a Shi'ite Maliki rival, today he met with a Sunni leader - if they are successful in forming a new coalition and change PMs to someone who will to take on al-Sadr, I suspect Bush will support that effort through a temporary increase in troops around Baghdad.
If that fails and Sadr and his militia can't be taken on, I'd look for more front line pull back with any increase concentrating primarily on training Iraqi troops. The place to watch right now is Iraq, more so than the White House. What happens there in the next three weeks may decide the future of Iraq, as much as any new Bush strategy to secure the country.
An extra 10-20K and they can start ink blotting in a big way just like in Ramadi.
Posted by: Purple Avenger | Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 05:21 AM