Originally published December 27 2005
Bush announces his goal of complete victory in Iraq while speaking to the Naval Academy
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Speaking at the U.S. Naval Academy, President Bush addressed the growing concerns over Iraq, saying that he will not pull out troops until Iraqi forces are trained and ready to take over.
President George W. Bush appealed to an increasingly skeptical public and Congress for patience in Iraq, saying Iraqi security forces were achieving growing success in taking over the fight against violent insurgents.
In a speech at the U.S. Naval Academy, Bush rejected calls for a quick pullout or a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.
Yet his contention that the U.S. was making progress in training Iraqi forces fulfills one of the conditions his administration has outlined for starting a draw-down of U.S. forces.
U.S. Lawmakers have been pushing the president to give regular progress reports to Congress and the public as polls show support for war is declining.
``Many advocating an artificial timetable for withdrawing our troops are sincere,'' he said.
The White House also released a 35-page document called ``National Strategy for Victory in Iraq'' that spells out the backbone of the president's plan for Iraq.
``No war has ever been won on a timetable and neither will this one,'' the strategy paper said.
``This is not a strategy, and it certainly is not a plan to complete the military mission in Iraq,'' said Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who voted against the resolution authorizing the president to use military force in Iraq.
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, said opponents of Bush's policy aren't seeking ``an artificial date for withdrawal.''
Senator Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the president offered an ``important'' outline for defining success in Iraq.
Today, there are over 120 Iraqi army police combat battalions, typically between 350 and 800 Iraqi forces, he said.
The U.S. military increased the number of personnel in Iraq to about 160,000 from 138,000 to head off anticipated violence by insurgents trying to disrupt elections.
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