Bush vows to continue mission

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., endorsed a call to begin withdrawing troops.
WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON -- President Bush laid out his administration's vision for winning the war in Iraq on Wednesday, acknowledging that the U.S. military has suffered "setbacks" but asserting that it is making unmistakable progress in training Iraqi security forces -- a mission he vowed will not be cut short by political pressures on the home front.
"As the Iraqi forces gain experience and the political process advances, we will be able to decrease our troop levels in Iraq without losing our capability to defeat the terrorists," Bush told an audience of midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. "These decisions about troop levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgment of our commanders -- not by artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington."
While Bush appealed for patience, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives announced hers was at an end. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., became the first congressional leader to endorse a call to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, following in the path laid two weeks earlier by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.
Pelosi said she was offering her own view, not speaking for the Democratic caucus, but added that her conversations with colleagues suggest that "clearly a majority of the caucus supports Mr. Murtha" and his plan for bringing home now the 160,000 U.S. forces in Iraq.
Cites progress by Iraqis
In a speech aimed at countering such opposition and bolstering what polls show is flagging enthusiasm for the war among the general public, Bush laid out what he called a record of growing proficiency by Iraqi military and police forces, which he said will allow U.S. forces to reduce their role in day-to-day combat operations.
With his voice at times choked with emotion, he said an immediate withdrawal or a precise schedule for doing so would vindicate the ruthless tactics of terrorists and ultimately Americans at home and abroad.
"To all who wear the uniform, I make you this pledge: America will not run in the face of car bombers and assassins so long as I am your commander-in-chief," Bush said.
Bush's speech coincided with the release of a 35-page document outlining his administration's strategy for winning the war. Administration officials said the report was compiled from declassified portions of long-standing war plans.
Titled "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq," the report says that the administration is working toward winning the war on three fronts: by training Iraqi security forces, helping the nation establish a democracy, and by targeting rebuilding and economic development efforts to areas of the country cleared of insurgents.
Waning support
The speech and release of the strategy document come as Bush's approval ratings have sunk to new lows and several polls show a majority of the public now regards the war as a mistake, even if most people believe the United States should make Iraq secure before leaving.
It was this latter group, administration officials said, that Bush especially wanted to reach, convincing them there is an end in sight even if the date is uncertain. White House aides have said Bush will deliver several more speeches detailing his administration's vision for winning the war before Iraqis go to the polls to elect a permanent government Dec. 15.
Bush warned that U.S. involvement in the war likely would not end in complete triumph. Instead, he said, U.S. troops will leave when Iraqis are prepared to assume the fight.
Democratic reaction
Several leading congressional Democrats dismissed the speech and the strategy document as warmed-over versions of Bush's previous rhetoric on Iraq.
"After nearly 1,000 days of war in Iraq, our troops, their families and the American people deserve more than just a Bush-Cheney public relations campaign," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "They deserve a clear strategy with military, economic and political measures to be met in order to successfully complete our mission."
Pelosi's move was the most notable. She had considered endorsing Murtha's withdrawal resolution immediately after he unveiled it last month. But she decided to hold back for fear that a proposal drafted by Murtha, a defense hawk from the Democratic Party's moderate wing, would quickly be tarred as the product of Pelosi's more liberal wing.
At the time, an anticipated cascade of Democratic endorsements for Murtha's position failed to materialize, as Democrats cautiously waited to see the proposal's impact. But in the ensuing days, the Democratic leadership has come under criticism from its activist base for timidity.
Aides scheduled a press conference expecting the Democratic leader to simply criticize the president's Iraq speech, but she announced Wednesday morning she would endorse Murtha's resolution.
On Friday, Pelosi will join Murtha in Boston at a Democratic fund-raiser. And next week, when Congress returns from its Thanksgiving recess, leadership aides expect dozens more Democrats to come out for Murtha's proposal.
Support for Bush
Not all Democrats were critical of Bush. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said the speech is "a step in the right direction, and it begins to address the Senate's call for a successful exit strategy."
Republicans, meanwhile, were supportive, saying the president had pointed the way to victory. "The president clearly and concisely laid out a plan for success in Iraq," said Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.
In his remarks, Bush continued to equate the war in Iraq with the nation's larger battle against terrorism. He acknowledged that those fighting against the United States are largely Iraqi, but he said the most lethal among them are foreign fighters bent on targeting Americans everywhere.
"This is an enemy without conscience, and they cannot be appeased. If we were not fighting and destroying this enemy in Iraq, they would not be idle," he said. "They would be plotting and killing Americans across the world and within our own borders."