Bush's Monday in Iraq

On Monday, President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq.

It was a big hit with the troops, but it seems to have really bugged the Democrats and their allies in the lib media.

The Associated Press reported Bush's sinister motive behind his visit:

Bush's trip was a dramatic move to steal the thunder from the Democratic Congress as it returns to Washington with fresh hopes of ending the unpopular war, now in its fifth year. Petraeus and Crocker will testify before lawmakers next week, and then Bush will announce how he intends to proceed in Iraq.

Really?

I don't see how the AP can relay that as fact. Sure, that may have been a consequence of the trip; but to suggest that the purpose behind Bush's Labor Day in Iraq was merely to steal the Dems' thunder is lame.

It's a petty attempt to politicize the trip and diminish the impact of the President of the United States turning up in Iraq to meet with the troops, U.S. military leaders, and top Iraqi leaders.

I think the libs are especially ticked off that Bush was greeted with such enthusiasm by the troops.

Those aren't images that the Dems want to have beamed around the country or the world.

Even worse for the Dems, the President said that progress being made in Iraq could result in a reduction in troops in the region.

AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- President Bush raised the possibility Monday of U.S. troop cuts in Iraq if security continues to improve, traveling here secretly to assess the war before a showdown with Congress.

The president was joined by his war cabinet and military commanders at an unprecedented meeting in Iraq over eight hours at this dusty military base in the heart of Anbar province, 120 miles west of Baghdad.

Bush did not say how large a troop withdrawal might be possible or whether it might occur before next spring when the first of the additional 30,000 troops he ordered to Iraq this year are to start coming home anyway. He emphasized that any cut would depend upon progress.

After talks with Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commandeer in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Bush said they "tell me if the kind of success we are now seeing continues, it will be possible to maintain the same level of security with fewer American forces."

So much for Bush's disastrous, failed policy.

...Standing before troops cheering "hooah," Bush said decisions on force levels "will be based on a calm assessment by our military commanders on the conditions on the ground — not a nervous reaction by Washington politicians to poll results in the media.

"In other words," Bush said, "when we begin to draw down troops from Iraq, it will be from a position of strength and success, not from a position of fear and failure."

Once the stronghold of the Sunni Arab insurgency, Anbar province now is cited as a model for the rest of Iraq. Violence abated after Sunni tribal leaders and former insurgents broke with al-Qaida and teamed up with U.S. troops to hunt down extremists.

"Anbar is a huge province," Bush said. "It was once written off as lost. It is now one of the safest places in Iraq."

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it will take several months to assess whether security improvements across Iraq are sufficient to enable Bush to start withdrawing troops. He provided no details on Bush's thinking about the timing and scope of any reductions.

"I am more optimistic than I have been at any time since I took this job," said Gates.

There's no question that coverage of Bush's visit presents a view of Iraq that the American people rarely see.

The Democrats and wobbly Republicans were cut off at the knees.

The surge has produced some positive results. There's reason to be hopeful that troop levels can be reduced without compromising the success of the mission. And there's certainly reason to be proud of what the troops have accomplished.

Transcript of the President's remarks at Al-Asad Airbase in Anbar Province

(Excerpt)

And so I thank you for your sacrifice. I thank you for volunteering in the face of danger. I thank you for your courage and your bravery. Every day you are successful here in Iraq draws nearer to the day when America can begin calling you and your fellow servicemen and women home.

But I want to tell you this about the decision -- about my decision about troop levels. Those decisions will be based on a calm assessment by our military commanders on the conditions on the ground -- not a nervous reaction by Washington politicians to poll results in the media. (Hooah.) In other words, when we begin to draw down troops from Iraq, it will be from a position of strength and success, not from a position of fear and failure. To do otherwise would embolden our enemies and make it more likely that they would attack us at home. If we let our enemies back us out of Iraq, we will more likely face them in America. If we don't want to hear their footsteps back home, we have to keep them on their heels over here. And that's exactly what you're doing, and America is safer for it.

In Anbar you're doing this hard work every day. We've all come to say thank you. We've come to tell you the American people are standing with you. They're grateful for your sacrifice. As Commander-in-Chief, I'm proud to be in your presence on this Labor Day. I ask for God's blessings on you and your family, and may God continue to bless America.