Bush trades ideas with Iraq panel
US President George Bush traded ideas on Iraq with a bipartisan commission and promised to work with the incoming Democratic majority toward “common objectives”.
At the same time, he renewed his opposition to any timetable for withdrawing US troops.
As Bush met with the Iraq Study Group yesterday, the Democrat in line to lead the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin of Michigan, said the administration did not see that “we’re getting deeper and deeper into a hole”.
Levin and other Democrats called for some troops to return home immediately, suggesting that would pressure the Iraqi government into assuming more responsibility.
Bush in turn had stern words for the Democrats, less than a week after they won control of both chambers of Congress in mid-term elections in which the Iraq war figured prominently.
The panel’s 10 members planned to speak with British prime minister Tony Blair on today by teleconference from the White House in Washington.
Later today, the study group was to meet at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington with foreign policy advisers from the Clinton administration, including Sandy Berger, Clinton’s national security adviser; Richard Holbrooke, former ambassador to the UN; and Warren Christopher, former secretary of state.
Yesterday, Blair said Iran and Syria’s aid should be solicited to help stem the violence in Iraq. Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and stabilising Lebanon also would help to unite the region behind peace, he said.
Asked about proposals by Levin and others for a phased troop reduction, Bush said: “I believe it is very important … for people making suggestions to recognise that the best military options depend upon the conditions on the ground.”
While Democrats agree that troops should leave Iraq sooner rather than later, they remain divided on the specifics. Rep. John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat and a contender to become the next majority leader, supports an immediate withdrawal of all troops, while Levin and others favour a slower phased withdrawal and have been reluctant to suggest a firm timetable.
Murtha and some others contend violence in Iraq will continue so long as US troops are present, but Levin and others warn that any withdrawal of troops must be done slowly to avoid a collapse in security.
The commission, headed by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton, has been briefed on the Democrats’ proposals and is considering a range of options.
In addition to considering whether there should be any timetable to pull out troops, the panel is studying many other options, including whether to solicit Iran and Syria to help stop the fighting.
The president met for more than an hour with the 10-member panel. He was joined by Vice President Dick Cheney, Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.
The panel then stayed around for a longer session that included other members of the president’s national security team, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and outgoing defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
