Blog Post

Matthew Lee and Anne Flaherty, Associated Press - September 12, 2007

President will pull out 30,000 troops, but Democrat scoffs

President Bush will tell the nation Thursday evening that he plans to reduce the American troop presence in Iraq by as many as 30,000 by next summer.

Bush will endorse the recommendations of his top general and top diplomat in Iraq, following their appearance at hearings in Congress.

Under the Bush plan, 130,000 Americans will remain in harm's way in Iraq at a cost of hundreds of billions of additional taxpayer dollars. This status quo policy was rejected by General James Jones, whose recent report stated that significant force reductions are possible and that we must reduce our military footprint in Iraq.

HOLT QUESTION'S DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE'S STATEMENT BEFORE SENATE COMMITTEE

House Select Intelligence Panel Chairman Disputes McConnell's Characterization of Intelligence Law in German Terrorism Case

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for bringing this resolution to the floor. I thank Mr. Hoyer and Mr. Boehner for co-sponsoring this very important resolution to remember what happened on 9/11 six years ago.

OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT:

The President's justification for the surge was that "reducing the violence in Baghdad will help make reconciliation possible." [White House, 1/10/07] But by all accounts, including that of General Petraeus, the Iraqi government's political progress is stalled.