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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (756292)	12/19/2006 10:05:42 PM
From: GROUND ZERO™	Respond to of 769670

It's a tough nut to crack... GZ

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (756292)	12/20/2006 2:44:58 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Bush warns of new sacrifices in Iraq By Toby Harnden in Washington Last Updated: 6:42pm GMT 20/12/2006 telegraph.co.uk A sombre President George W. Bush said today he planned to increase the size of the United States armed forces to cope with the "beginning stages of an ideological struggle" between liberty and evil across the globe. He warned Americans of the need for "difficult choices and additional sacrifices" in a war that he conceded for the first time America and its allies were not winning against a "merciless and violent" enemy. Abandoning the upbeat tone of his November pronouncement that "absolutely, we're winning", Mr Bush instead chose to adopt the formula of his senior military commander that "we're not winning, we're not losing". But he remained adamant that America would not abandon the fight in Iraq. "I want the enemy to understand that this is a tough task, but they can't run us out of the Middle East, that they can't intimidate America," he promised. Having recently described the violence in Iraq as merely"unsettling", Mr Bush had re-characterised it as "horrific" and then, yesterday, "unspeakable" in an attempt to combat criticisms that he is out of touch. "Victory in Iraq is achievable," he insisted. "It hasn't happened nearly as quickly as I hoped it would have. I know it's the fact that there is still unspeakable sectarian violence in Iraq. I know that's troubling to the American people." The decision to expand the US military by, according to US officials, up to 70,000, came after the heads of both the US Army and Marine Corps stated their forces were close to breaking point. Colin Powell, the former US Secretary of State under Mr Bush, said at the weekend that the "active army is about broken". Gen Peter Schoomaker, the US Army's chief of staff, warned Congress last week that his forces "will break" under the strain of war-zone rotations. There are currently 507,000 in the US Army and 180,000 in the US Marine Corps. An increase in the size of the US military had been vigorously resisted by Donald Rumsfeld, who stepped down as Pentagon chief last week at Mr Bush's behest. Mr Rumsfeld favoured light and agile forces and derided those who advocated the use of heavy armour and large numbers of troops. But Mr Bush said that Robert Gates, who was sworn in as Mr Rumsfeld's successor on Monday and arrived in Baghdad today for a visit of several days, would provide a "new perspective". Mr Bush is due to give a speech next month in which he will outline a new Iraq policy. Having said for months that he would alter only tactics and not strategy, he spoke today of an "Iraq Strategy Review". This is a set of internal consultations with the Pentagon, National Security Council and White House. Mr Bush has firmly distanced himself from the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, an independent body that called for combat troops to be withdrawn by 2008. Mr Bush is expected to announce a "surge" of troops in Iraq and to replace the two senior generals in the Middle East. One of them, Gen John Abizaid, head of US Central Command, announced today that he would step down early next year. "No decision that anybody in a position like this [takes] is totally their decision," he said in Baghdad. "But I think the time is right and it has nothing to do with dissatisfaction." Mr Gates confirmed that an increase of troops in Iraq was under active consideration. "We discussed the possibility of a surge and the potential for what it might accomplish." The opposition Democrats, who triumphed in last month's mid-term elections, recapturing both houses of Congress, have long urged an increase in the size of US forces. After Mr Bush's White House news conference, Nancy Pelosi, the new Speaker of the House of representatives, said: "I am pleased that President Bush is reversing his position and finally heeding the calls of Democrats to permanently increase the size of the military. "But the President gave no indication in his press conference today that he is willing to make the changes needed to reverse the disastrous situation in Iraq." The cost of the US war against terror since the September 11th attacks has now exceeded that of the Vietnam war, according to the independent Congressional Research Service. An additional $100 billion granted by Congress will bring overall expenditures to $600 billion. Adjusted for inflation, the Vietnam conflict cost $549 billion. Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without licence. For the full copyright statement see Copyright