Bush, US commanders meet to weigh Iraq tactics
Source: Reuters
(Adds comment from U.S. official on the meeting) By Caren Bohan WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush met on Saturday with top U.S. military commanders to discuss the Iraq war and said he would "make every necessary change" in tactics to try to control spiraling violence there. Despite growing election-year pressure from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers for an overhaul of his Iraq strategy, Bush insisted he would not abandon his goal of building a self-sustaining democratic government in Iraq. The president, however, acknowledged in his weekly radio address the violence has risen sharply. In October, nearly 80 U.S. troops have been killed, a pace that if continued could make it one of the deadliest months for American forces since the war began in 2003. While Bush has emphasized lately that he is flexible on tactics in Iraq, the White House has drawn a distinction between that and a big overhaul of the strategy in Iraq, and officials have suggested such a broad revamp was not imminent. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported in its Sunday editions that the Bush administration was drafting a timetable that includes milestones for the Iraqi government in addressing sectarian divisions and taking responsibility for security. The story quoted unnamed senior U.S. officials. White House spokeswoman Nicole Guillemard said the story was "not accurate." But she added that new tactics were constantly being developed to achieve the goal in Iraq. Bush, in his radio address, said, "We will continue to be flexible, and make every necessary change to prevail in this struggle." He added, "Our goal in Iraq is clear and unchanging." Bush held a 90-minute videoconference on Saturday involving Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, top White House officials and U.S. military officials in Iraq. Gen. John Abizaid, who oversees the Iraq war as head of the U.S. Central Command, is in Washington and was a key presenter at the videoconference. "The participants focused on the nature of the enemy, the challenges in Iraq, how to better pursue our strategy, and the stakes of succeeding for the region and the security of the American people," Guillemard said, adding there would be a similar forum in coming weeks. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the concept of a timetable for the Iraqi government did not come up at the meeting. DEMOCRATS ASSAIL STRATEGY Democratic congressional candidate Diane Farrell, delivering her party's radio message, said the Bush administration's plan amounted to little more than a slogan of "stay the course." "To be blunt, the president and the Republican Congress have been wrong on Iraq and wrong to keep their failed strategy," said Farrell, who is vying to unseat Connecticut Republican Rep. Chris Shays. Farrell accused the administration of offering no more than a "flat denial of the horrible reality" in Iraq. Polls suggest discontent with the Iraq war may cost Republicans control of the U.S. Congress after the Nov. 7 midterm elections. Bush acknowledged the recent spike in violence and his comments had a more somber note than in the past. "The last few weeks have been rough for our troops in Iraq and for the Iraqi people," he said. Bush quoted Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, who said this week that a two-month-old crackdown on violence in Baghdad through mass troop reinforcements "has not met our overall expectations." Longtime Bush family friend and former Secretary of State James Baker is leading a panel that is preparing recommendations for alternative strategies in Iraq. But the Iraq Study Group's report will not be issued until after the Nov. 7 elections. Some have suggested the administration might use the bipartisan group's findings as political cover for an exit strategy. Cheney, in a transcript of a Time magazine interview released by the White House, brushed aside that idea. "We're not looking for an exit strategy," Cheney said. But he said the panel was undertaking "a valuable exercise" and he was eager to listen to their ideas.
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