Bush, Rumsfeld Defend Strategy

The Washington Post ^ | October 21, 2006 | Ann Scott Tyson and Michael A. Fletcher

[John Carey]

President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld yesterday defended the U.S. strategy in Iraq, saying the ultimate goals remain unchanged despite escalating violence and increasingly somber assessments from military leaders on the ground.

Speaking at a Washington fundraiser, Bush said the U.S. goal in Iraq "is clear and unchanging": creating a country that can govern and defend itself and "that will be an ally in the war against these extremists."

In a briefing later at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld played down the significance of fighting and sectarian violence that have erupted over the past few days outside Baghdad, as U.S. troops in Iraq suffer some of the highest monthly casualties since the 2003 invasion.

The U.S. military strategy of handing over security to Iraqi forces will never be a "straight, smooth, steady path" and American troops may have to step back in repeatedly to quell outbreaks of violence, Rumsfeld said.

But Rumsfeld rejected the suggestion that this means the U.S. strategy of "clear, hold and build" is failing.

The remarks came amid growing concern among both Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the administration's Iraq plan, with some predicting that upcoming elections and the apparent lack of progress on the ground would soon force the Bush administration to abandon its open-ended support of the war.

[Terpfen]

despite escalating violence

The MSM has been saying this for three years. At what point does violence stop escalating?

[Ninian Dryhope]

Iraq is proving to be a tough nut to crack, Still, winning in Iraq, no matter how long it takes and no matter how tough it gets, sends a very powerful signal to the terrorists and the rest of the world that the USA is no one to mess around with.

Losing in Iraq would hearten the terrorists and demoralize our allies and let loose the floodgates of hell on us and the rest of the civilized world.

Cutting and running is a certain path to much more misery.

Sometimes one has to choose the lesser of two evils and having to slog it out with the terrorists in Iraq is lessor of the two evils we are now facing.

Naturally, the Democrats would prefer doing the easy thing now, despite the price would would have to pay down the road for cutting and running now.

[ClaireSolt]

Oh, I see. We concentrate on Baghdad and that i a failure because there is not fighting outside of Baghdad. Two or three car bombs a day would make Paris feel happy.

[JOE43270]

Everyone needs to figure this out. "WAR is HELL PEACHES, then some of us die." War is not something that can be done in ten minutes because WE have an enemy. A lot of us have worn AMERICA'S uniforms and some of us saw combat and some didn't. I didn't and I never have figured out why. I met an American Soldier the other day that has had FIVE COMBAT TOURS in Iraq. I HONORED HIM. I new about some that have had three and four combat tours. God Bless ALL who have protected America because that is why these people can write articles like this.