Bush to Congress on war: 'Let us come together'

The president went through many drafts of the speech tonight. His speechwriting staff, from left, Marc Thiessen, Bill McGurn and Christopher Michel. White House photo by Eric Draper

by Mark Silva

President Bush, prepared to tell Americans in a televised address from the Oval Office tonight that he will withdraw the troops from Iraq which Gen. David Petraeus has recommended, will appeal to members of Congress to work with him on the way forward in Iraq.

"The principle guiding my decisions on troop levels in Iraq is 'return on success,''' Bush will say, according to excerpts from his 9 pm EDT speech released by the White House.

"The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home,'' the president plans to say. "And in all we do, I will ensure that our commanders on the ground have the troops and flexibility they need to defeat the enemy.''

The White House says 5,700 troops will come home by Christmas -- 2,200 Marines this month and an Army combat brigade of 3,500 in December. Four more brigades and two Marine battalions will return next year, according to the Petraeus plan which Bush is endorsing.

"In Iraq, an ally of the United States is fighting for its survival,'' the president is expected to say. "Terrorists and extremists who are at war with us around the world are seeking to topple Iraq’s government, dominate the region, and attack us here at home...

"This ally has placed its trust in the United States. And tonight, our moral and strategic imperatives are one: We must help Iraq defeat those who threaten its future – and also threaten ours...''

Petraeus has said that his strategy will return U.S. forces in Iraq to their "pre-surge'' level of 15 brigades by mid-July 2008, though neither the White House nor Department of Defense today can say for certain how many troops will return home by next summer.

The combat forces involved in the withdrawal that Petraeus is recommending number about 21,000, but thousands more are involved in support functions. There were about 130,000 troops in Iraq before the "surge'' that Bush announced in January. There are 169,000 today, according to the Department of Defense.

"The premise of our strategy is that securing the Iraqi population is the foundation for all other progress,'' the president plans to say tonight. "The goal of the surge is to provide that security – and to help prepare Iraqi forces to maintain it. As I will explain tonight, our success in meeting these objectives now allows us to begin bringing some of our troops home. ''

Bush will acknowledge the failure of Iraqi leaders to reach the political reconciliation which the surge of force and added security was designed to permit.

"Now the Iraqi government must bring the same determination to achieving reconciliation,'' he will say. "This is an enormous undertaking after more than three decades of tyranny and division. The government has not met its own legislative benchmarks – and in my meetings with Iraqi leaders, I have made it clear that they must...

"Yet Iraq’s national leaders are getting some things done. For example, they have passed a budget. They are sharing oil revenues with the provinces… And local reconciliation is taking place. The key now is to link this progress in the provinces to progress in Baghdad. As local politics change, so will national politics.''

Bush also will argue that the mission in Iraq makes the United States more secure.

"The success of a free Iraq is critical to the security of the United States'' he will say.

"Americans want our country to be safe, and our troops to begin coming home from Iraq,'' he plans to say. "Yet those of us who believe success in Iraq is essential to our security, and those who believe we should bring our troops home, have been at odds. Now, because of the measure of success we are seeing in Iraq, we can begin seeing troops come home.''

He will argue that his plan should open the door to congressional compromise -- though Democratic leaders already are criticizing the strategy as an "open-ended commitment'' to military force in Iraq, and nothing more than a return to the status quo of January.

"The way forward I have described tonight makes it possible, for the first time in years, for people who have been on opposite sides of this difficult debate to come together,'' the president plans to say.

"This vision for a reduced American presence also has the support of Iraqi leaders from all communities. At the same time, they understand that their success will require U.S. political, economic, and security engagement that extends beyond my Presidency. These Iraqi leaders have asked for an enduring relationship with America. And we are ready to begin building that relationship – in a way that protects our interests in the region and requires many fewer American troops.

"Realizing this vision will be difficult – but it is achievable. Our military commanders believe we can succeed. Our diplomats believe we can succeed. And for the safety of future generations of Americans, we must succeed.

"Whatever political party you belong to, whatever your position on Iraq, we should be able to agree that America has a vital interest in preventing chaos and providing hope in the Middle East. We should be able to agree that we must defeat al Qaeda, counter Iran, help the Afghan government, work for peace in the Holy Land, and strengthen our military so we can prevail in the struggle against terrorists and extremists.

In his appeal to Democrats, Bush plans to say: "Let us come together on a policy of strength in the Middle East. I thank you for providing crucial funds and resources for our military. And I ask you to join me in supporting the recommendations General Petraeus has made, and the troop levels he has asked for.''

"Some say the gains we are making in Iraq come too late,'' Bush will say. "They are mistaken. It is never too late to deal a blow to al Qaeda. It is never too late to advance freedom. And it is never too late to support our troops in a fight they can win.''