President Bush says the U.S. military will pull out of Iraq ``as quickly as possible,'' but he is not endorsing Secretary of State Colin Powell's statement that troops could begin returning home this year. ``The way I would put it is, American troops will be leaving as quickly as possible, but they won't be leaving until we have completed our mission,'' Bush said in a Washington Post interview published Sunday. ``And part of the mission is to train Iraqis so they can fight the terrorists. And the sooner the Iraqis are prepared - better prepared, better equipped to fight - the sooner our troops will start coming home,'' Bush said.
| This is not a change in policy, though watch the MSM play it up as one. |
Powell told National Public Radio last week that he believes Americans could begin leaving Iraq this year as the Iraqis take on a larger security role. Powell, in his final days as the government's chief diplomat, said he could not give a timeline when all the troops will be home. Bush said the U.S. military is ``constantly assessing'' if Iraqi security forces are up to the job, allowing the United States to begin pulling out. The president would not commit to significantly reduce troops by the end of his second term in 2009. In the interview, Bush said the public ratified his approach toward Iraq when they re-elected him rather than Democrat John Kerry. Bush also said there is no reason to hold any administration official accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in the planning or conduction of the war. ``We had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 elections,'' Bush said. ``The American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and chose me.'' |