Media General News Service
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Stumble It!WASHINGTON – A favorable shift in Iraqi tribal loyalties and continued stress and strain on American troops prompted Gen. David Petraeus’ plan to bring 30,000 troops home by next summer.
President Bush is expected to endorse the troop drawdown recommended by Gen. David Petraeus during tonight’s primetime television address.
Under the plan, units deployed for the surge would begin returning home in a few months and all would depart by next July, and leaving about 138,000 troops in Iraq—the same number as in January.
Neither Bush nor Petraeus is answering calls by Democrats and some Republicans for further troop reductions.
For Petraeus and Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, Wednesday was Day Three of answering questions about Iraq and the surge, which has boosted troop levels in Iraq to more than 168,000.
On Monday and Tuesday, House members and senators quizzed the pair. Wednesday was the news media’s turn—first, in a packed news conference and then in one-on-one sessions with television network anchors.
The pair’s message was the same, although delivered more succinctly. Progress is being made and, if everything works out, the 30,000 troops sent to Iraq this year will be home by next summer, Petraeus said.
Talking about Iraqi political progress, Crocker said, “It’s my judgment that the trajectory is moving upwards but the slope is not very great.“
The move by several Sunni tribal leaders to switch loyalties and fight against insurgents “gives you a solution that is sustainable in a way that we have not had in the past, frankly,“ the general said.
In areas, like the Sunni-dominated Anbar province, where local leaders and forces have sided with the U.S. and the Iraqi government, Petraeus expects to “thin out” U.S. forces. Later this month, he hopes to withdraw a unit of 2,000 Marines without replacing them.
He bristled at a reporter’s suggestion that the drawdown would have happened anyway.
“We are coming out quicker than we had to,“ he said. Based on 15-month deployment schedules for troops in Iraq, Petraeus could have kept all of the surged combat brigades until at least April 2008 and the last until September 2008, instead of July 2008.
The strain and stress on combat troops was a factor in his recommendation to pull troops out starting this winter, he said.
The four-star general clarified his “I don’t know” answer to a question Tuesday from Sen. John Warner, R-Va., on whether America is safer.
Wednesday’s answer: “Achieving our national interests in Iraq is very important. And, those national interests do, obviously, link to the overall strategy for our country and are an important component in it, and therefore do, yes, make our country safer.“
After two somber days before politicians, Petraeus showed a witty side with journalists.
He opened the news conference by saying he had shortened his opening statement to 25 minutes—which drew groans from reporters.
With a quick smile, the usually deadpan general added, “I’m not sure if even I can bear giving my opening statement for a fourth time.“
When a correspondent asked Petraeus if he thought elected officials should read the Army’s counterinsurgency manual before commenting on the war, the general deftly said, “I don’t want to try to follow up on that … I’ve tried to spend the last 33 years going around minefields instead of through them.“
E-mail James W. Crawley, national correspondent for Media General News Service, at jcrawley@mediageneral.com.
