As I and others predicted, George Bush is now contradicting himself and making noises about bringing our troops home — or at least, reducing their numbers:
President Bush today raised the prospect of further reducing U.S. troop levels in Iraq later this year because of what he said was growing progress by the Iraqi army. But he said Iraqi police units need more American help in view of “troubling” reports of abuses.
… In a speech at the Pentagon after a briefing on U.S. war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bush vowed that any decisions on troops levels will be based on recommendations from U.S. commanders on the ground, and not on “false political timetables” in Washington.
With recent national polls showing majority disapproval of Bush’s handling of the situation in Iraq, the administration has been widely expected to withdraw some U.S. troops before the congressional mid-term elections in November.
Which, of course, is the very definition of a “political timetable.”
