US Raids Net Nearly 100 Al Qaeda In Iraq, Including Four Alleged Leaders

Sadly, the great majority apparently tucked tail and surrendered, with only three Brave Warriors of Allah actually eager for DoD-catered martyrdom.

In news closely related on top of Drudge, Bush will address the nation tonight to ask the country to take a "fresh look" at the new facts on the ground in Iraq.

When top Democratic leaders visited him at the White House this week, President Bush told them he wanted to “find common ground” on Iraq. But when the president said he planned to “start doing some redeployment,” the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, cut him off.

“No you’re not, Mr. President,” Ms. Pelosi interjected. “You’re just going back to the presurge level.”

The testy exchange, recounted by three people who attended the session or were briefed on it, provides a peek into how Mr. Bush will try to sell Americans on his Iraq strategy when he addresses the nation at 9 p.m. Thursday. With lawmakers openly skeptical of his troop buildup, Mr. Bush will cast his plan for a gradual, limited withdrawal as a way to bring a divided America together — even as he resists demands from those who want him to move much faster.

The prime-time address will be the eighth by Mr. Bush on Iraq since the invasion in March 2003, the latest iteration of his efforts to sketch what he calls “the way forward.” It will be the first time he has described a plan for troop reductions, a radical departure for a president who has repeatedly defied his critics’ calls to bring the troops home.

Yet as the president outlines his plan, his critics say he is trying to have it both ways. He is, they say, taking credit for a drawdown that has been envisioned since he first announced the current buildup on Jan. 10 — a withdrawal that had to be carried out unless he was willing to take the politically unpalatable step of extending soldiers’ tours further.

The White House declined on Wednesday to preview Mr. Bush’s speech, but one senior administration official, speaking anonymously to avoid upstaging the president, said the reductions would be heavily conditioned on the situation in Iraq and would fall far short of the rapid withdrawal Democrats want.

The fact is that the military is seriously overtaxed at this point. Bush surely should have created two new divisions prior to the Iraq War, but it's questionable how much such an impact such a common-sense move would have had.

Meanwhile, the super strong, tough Democrats agitate further for surrender, and suggest the exciting new mission of "counter-terrorism" and training Iraqi forces in Iraq.

Gee, why didn't we think of that. Killing terrorists and training Iraqi forces. Why, it all sounds so obvious when you put it like that!

posted by Ace at 03:53 PM

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