bush vs. the world and reality (like usual)

Bush agrees to speedy turnover in Iraq

AMMAN, Jordan - President Bush said Thursday the United States will speed a turnover of security responsibility to Iraqi forces but assured Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that Washington is not looking for a "graceful exit" from a war well into its fourth violent year.

Under intensifying political pressure at home, the American and Iraqi leaders came together for a hastily arranged summit to explore how to stop escalating violence that is tearing Iraq apart and eroding support for Bush's war strategy.

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"One of his frustrations with me is that he believes that we've been slow about giving him the tools necessary to protect the Iraqi people," Bush said. "He doesn't have the capacity to respond. So we want to accelerate that capacity."

There was no explanation from either side of how that would happen, beyond support for the long-standing goals of speeding the U.S. military's effort to train Iraqi security forces and to give more military authority over Iraq to al-Maliki.

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"I know there's a lot of speculation that these reports in Washington mean there's going to be some kind of graceful exit out of Iraq," he said. "This business about a graceful exit just simply has no realism to it at all."

The president added: "I'm a realist because I understand how tough it is inside of Iraq."

Wow - think that's the first time that ANYONE - even himself - has called bush a realist!!!

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Iraq panel set to urge major withdrawal

WASHINGTON - A leader of a bipartisan commission on U.S. options in Iraq said the group has agreed on a set of recommendations due next week, and published reports said the panel will urge a major withdrawal of U.S. forces but set no firm deadlines.

Such a withdrawal would gradually shift the U.S. military role from combat to support, a shift in policy for the Bush administration that President Bush seemed to reject Thursday, days ahead of the report's release.

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The New York Times and The Washington Post reported Thursday that the much-anticipated report from the congressionally chartered Iraq Study Group will recommend far more aggressive diplomacy to enlist other nations in helping to curb violence in Iraq. That outreach could include a regional conference among all of Iraq's neighbors, or a wider gathering of Middle East nations that would also address separate Middle East peace issues.

Diplomacy, eh? Good luck with that!