I know Bush is a bit dense but it seems to me that he shouldn't be
criticizing the top US general in Iraq, saying he is "waving the white flag of surrender" with his Iraq withdrawal plan.
Sounds to me like your sidekick Karl Rove has lost his marbles; maybe being outed as an "insidious traitor," as your dad calls leakers of classified information that dramatically damages US intel capabilities, will do that to you.
Mr. Bush, I know you don't read the papers and all but let me spell it out for you so that you and Rove can understand Gen. Casey's excellent plan for success in Iraq.
(Please recommend this up so that Bush can be exposed for having slandered this good general.)
U.S. military confirms plan to reduce troops
U.S. government officials confirmed on Saturday that Army Gen. George Casey has submitted an early draft of a plan to withdraw roughly 28,000 combat troops from Iraq by the end of 2007. [snip]
Military official acknowledge that the New York Times' story reflects more of the political reality here at home than the security situation on the ground in Iraq, saying it's impossible to predict with any precision the number of forces that could be withdrawn that far in advance, (the end of 2007).
U.S. General in Iraq Outlines Troop Cuts
In the general's briefing, the future American role in Iraq is divided into three phases. The next 12 months was described as a period of stabilization. The period from the summer of 2007 through the summer of 2008 was described as a time when the emphasis would be on the restoration of the Iraqi government's authority. The period from the summer of 2008 though the summer of 2009 was cast as one in which the Iraqi government would be increasingly self-reliant.
And let me say thank you to Gen. Casey, the top commander in Iraq, for sidestepping your bungling, incompetent, CYA bosses with your Iraq plan which matches the Democrats' plan almost exactly:
Senate Democrats push phased Iraq redeployment
Top Senate Democrats, who last week voted against a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, yesterday introduced a measure to start a phased troop redeployment by the end of the year.
Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan said Iraqis must stop looking at the United States as a "security blanket" with an open-ended commitment of support.
"The administration's policy that we'll be there as long as Iraq needs us will result in Iraq depending upon us longer," Mr. Levin said before introducing the amendment to the defense authorization bill being considered this week. "Three and a half years into the conflict, we should tell the Iraqis that the American security blanket is not permanent."
Mr. Levin said phased redeployment -- not a timetable -- would encourage the Iraqi leaders to make "hard compromises" and secure their country.
Under the amendment, a phased redeployment of U.S. troops would begin by Dec. 31, when the Bush administration would be required to submit a plan for continued redeployment beyond 2006.
Mr. Bush, stop your Rovian demogoguery of that good general and start doing what's good for Iraq and most important of all, start doing what's good for America.