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Admission of errors

Bush and Blair concede missteps, but avoid talk of troop pullout in unusually candid Iraq comments

BY CRAIG GORDON | Newsday Washington Bureau

May 26, 2006

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair refused last night to outline a possible withdrawal from Iraq, pledging to keep troops there until a new government takes hold, despite mounting pressure to bring them home.

In unusually candid tones, both Bush and Blair admitted that a series of mistakes complicated the effort there, even as they tried to persuade two war-weary publics an ocean apart to stay the course.

"Despite setbacks and missteps, I strongly believe we did and are doing the right thing," Bush said last night, standing beside one of the few world leaders to back his invasion of Iraq in 2003. "We'll keep the force level there necessary to win."

Bush offered a rare mea culpa, acknowledging that a pair of quips that earned him his shoot-from-the-lip reputation - "Bring it on," and "Wanted: dead or alive," in relation to Osama bin Laden - taught him "about expressing myself maybe in a little more sophisticated manner."

"That kind of talk, I think in certain parts of the world, it was misinterpreted," Bush said. He also cited the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal as setting back U.S. efforts in Iraq.

For his part, Blair's Monday visit to Baghdad appeared to stiffen his resolve, as he urged people horrified by scenes of violence there not to lose heart.

"I came away thinking the challenge is still immense, but I also came away more certain than ever that we should rise to it," Blair said.

"These people who are fighting us there know what is at stake. The question is, do we?"

But any viewers who tuned in to the rare joint news conference hoping to hear even hints of a possible withdrawal timetable came away disappointed.

Bush heralded the formation of a new Iraqi government last week as a critical step in Iraq's future - but offered no sign of how it would affect his timetable for bringing troops home. He reiterated his long-standing remarks that it was up to commanders on the ground - and noted that the new Iraqi government doesn't even have a defense minister yet.

Iraq's new prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki surprised Blair this week when al-Maliki said he hoped Iraqi forces could take over security for most of the country by year's end - and all of the nation in 18 months, or the end of 2007.

Bush did not comment directly on that timetable, though Blair said last night he believed it was at least possible to achieve, if the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces continues.

Bush also refused to discuss widespread news reports that the Pentagon hoped that U.S. forces in Iraq could drop from 132,000 now to 100,000 by year's end, calling them "speculation in the press." British forces in Iraq number close to 8,000.

Bush's comments continued a White House effort this week to straddle the line on the new Iraqi government - holding it out as a major milestone in Iraq to help buy time with an American public desperately looking for a sign of progress there, while not embracing al-Maliki's prescription for a 2007 takeover of security duties.

In fact, several sources say they believe the Bush administration is highly skeptical that Iraqi security forces could take over key missions in that time, and is, in essence, trying to hold off al-Maliki from getting too far ahead of himself.

Several defense analysts said yesterday that they believe Iraqi forces are making good progress but were doubtful they could confront the insurgency in restive communities like Baghdad and around Fallujah without significant U.S. help for the foreseeable future.

"If I were a betting man, I'd bet we're going to have forces there long after 2007," said retired Army Col. Robert Killebrew, a respected former military planner.

Michael O'Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said he envisions the need for 30,000 to 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future, even after Iraqis take over.

The news conference between this political odd-couple - the blunt-spoken Texas conservative and the Clinton-esque British moderate - came at the low ebb of both men's time in office, and Blair might be the only top leader even more unpopular at home than Bush is here. Both are in their waning years in office, weighed down in the polls by the war in Iraq - leading one British journal to dub them the "axis of feeble."

Bush on other topics

President George W. Bush also addressed several other issues last night, including:

Reports of Treasury Secretary John Snow's imminent resignation - "He has not talked to me about resignation," Bush said. "I think he's doing a fine job." See story, A32

Whether the war has left him politically weakened - "No question that the Iraq war has, you know, created a sense of consternation here in America," Bush said. Daily images of the violence and death there "affects the mentality of our country."

Addressing Iran's nuclear ambitions - "Of course, we'll look at all options. But it's their choice right now - they're the ones who walked away from the table," Bush said. "I think we ought to be continuing to work on ways to make it clear to them that they will be isolated."

From staff and wire reports