Bush: 'Still more work to do' in Iraq

Posted by Mark Silva

“Obviously,’’ President Bush said today about the war in Iraq, “we have still more work to do.’’

This was the public conclusion that the president drew from a private Oval Office meeting this morning with Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, former commanding general of the multi-national security and transition command in Iraq who is becoming No. 2 at the U.S. Central Command.

The president had Dempsey, and also the general’s wife, Vice President Dick Cheney and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who will be stepping down for inability to gain support for his reconfirmation in the Senate, in to the Oval Office.

Dempsey had some sobering words for the progress of Iraqi security-force training in testimoney before Congress this week. Inside the Oval Office, Dempsey "explained to me the progress that has been made over the years that he has been there,’’ Bush said. “Obviously, we have still more work to do.''

Dempsey told Congress this on Tuesday: The U.S. has spent $19 billion to train and equip 348,000 Iraqi security forces to take over from U.S. troops, yet Iraqi units remain beset by 25 percent absenteeism, sectarian infiltration and the inability to sustain combat operations.

U.S.-led forces "currently cover these capability gaps," Dempsey told the House Armed Services Committee. "Failure to address these Iraqi security capability gaps will lock U.S. forces into tactical battle space (combat areas) and greatly increase the risk to the Iraqi security forces, should the coalition presence decline in the near future."

“My main purpose of inviting the general here is to hear his summary, but to thank him,’’ the commander-in-chief said today. “No more important mission for our military than Iraq and Afghanistan. And General Dempsey and his family have been very much involved in this war on terror. And we appreciate you, and thank you, and wish you all the best in your next assignment.’’

Asked why the White House opened this visit to a photo opportunity and brief remarks by the president, Tony Snow, the press secretary, said this:

“It's interesting, you go back and look, he was first deployed to the region on September 10, 2001 -- he's been there pretty much continuously ever since in a number of roles. He's now going to be the number two at CENTCOM. And he is somebody, also, who has been involved intimately in the training of Iraqi forces, and it's important not only to get a download, but also to thank him for his service.

Yet Dempsey has had some skeptical things to say about the progress in Iraq, hasn’t he?

“I don't think ‘skeptical’ is the right word,’’ Snow said. “I think what he was trying to be is realistic, understanding that there are certain challenges. But on the other hand, it's interesting, if you take a look at the comments of General Petraeus or you look at the 90-10, there are a number of things that give people a sense that there has been progress in key areas.

“But on the other hand, you have to understand -- for instance, on the training area -- that there are problems with the police and that that has been the case and it has certainly been publicly stated over and over. What he said is that he thinks there is going to be a need to increase the number of Iraqi security forces. That seems reasonable based not only on his experience, but what we're seeing.’’