Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Times
December 4, 2006
Pg. 15
By Steven R. Weisman
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 — President Bush plans “significant changes” in his approach to Iraq after he reviews options drafted by an outside panel of experts and suggestions from others in the administration and Congress, Stephen J. Hadley, the national security adviser, said Sunday.
Mr. Hadley, whose own internal memo expressing doubts about the Iraqi leadership stirred a debate when it was disclosed last week, said Mr. Bush would announce “a new way forward” in Iraq in the coming weeks, once he goes through the recommendations from various groups.
Among the options to be examined are those expected to be released on Wednesday from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Representative Lee H. Hamilton. The group has spent most of the last year studying Iraq strategy.
“The president has said that what is going on in Iraq is not going well enough or fast enough,” Mr. Hadley said on the NBC News program “Meet the Press.” “The president said we need to make changes. Some of those changes are going to be significant changes.”
Mr. Hadley said, however, that the principal goal of helping Iraq become a self-governing country that can defend itself would remain, and that a withdrawal of troops “regardless of what was happening on the ground” would not be adopted.
“That’s cut and run, and, of course, as the president has said, cut and run is not his cup of tea,” Mr. Hadley said.
Asked when Mr. Bush planned to report to Americans on his own conclusions, Mr. Hadley said, “I think it’s going to be weeks, not months.”
Mr. Hadley described a leaked memo written by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that called for “a major adjustment” in approach on Iraq, possibly including troop redeployments or withdrawals, as part of the overall review being conducted by the president.
“What Secretary Rumsfeld did, I think very helpfully, was put together a sort of laundry list of ideas that ought to be considered as part of that review,” Mr. Hadley said on the ABC News program “This Week,” referring to the memo.
Mr. Hadley used the phrase “laundry list” to characterize Mr. Rumsfeld’s suggestions on each of his three television appearances on Sunday, the third one being “Face the Nation” on CBS News.
He also said that despite his own memo expressing doubts about Iraq and the leadership of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, President Bush had confidence in Mr. Maliki and would work hard to help the Iraqis accelerate their training of military and security forces.
“They’re not there yet,” Mr. Hadley said of the Iraqi government on “This Week.” “They face enormous challenges. They don’t have all the tools that they need.” He said that when Mr. Bush met Mr. Maliki in Amman, Jordan, last week, they resolved to find ways to help the Iraqis “get greater capabilities” and “more responsibility.”
In Mr. Hadley’s memo, written on Nov. 8 after he had met with Mr. Maliki in Baghdad, he said it was unclear whether Mr. Maliki was misinformed about violence in Iraq or unwilling or unable to curb sectarian violence, including the spread of Shiite militias loyal to Moktada al-Sadr, one of Mr. Maliki’s most important political allies.
But on Sunday, Mr. Hadley said that, since then, the administration had become convinced that Mr. Maliki was doing his best to go after the militias and assume greater responsibility for Iraq’s security.
“That memo was written early in the review process, in the first week of November, as a result of a trip I took,” Mr. Hadley said on “Meet the Press.” “We have been making assessments in a variety of agencies to try and answer the questions I posed in that memo.”
After meeting with Mr. Maliki, Mr. Hadley said, Mr. Bush drew the conclusion that, as he put it last week, the Iraqi leader was “the right guy” for Iraq.
On Sunday, Mr. Hadley was repeatedly asked about his memo, which was disclosed in The New York Times last week. He denied that its disclosure was in any way authorized by the White House or his office. He said leaking it was “an effort to embarrass” Mr. Bush and Mr. Maliki on the eve of their summit meeting.
“It was outrageous,” he said of the disclosure. “It could have cast a pall over this meeting, a meeting that was very important to Iraqis and to Americans to chart the future in Iraq.” He declined to say whether the White House would investigate who disclosed the memo.
December 4, 2006
Pg. 15
By Steven R. Weisman
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 — President Bush plans “significant changes” in his approach to Iraq after he reviews options drafted by an outside panel of experts and suggestions from others in the administration and Congress, Stephen J. Hadley, the national security adviser, said Sunday.
Mr. Hadley, whose own internal memo expressing doubts about the Iraqi leadership stirred a debate when it was disclosed last week, said Mr. Bush would announce “a new way forward” in Iraq in the coming weeks, once he goes through the recommendations from various groups.
Among the options to be examined are those expected to be released on Wednesday from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Representative Lee H. Hamilton. The group has spent most of the last year studying Iraq strategy.
“The president has said that what is going on in Iraq is not going well enough or fast enough,” Mr. Hadley said on the NBC News program “Meet the Press.” “The president said we need to make changes. Some of those changes are going to be significant changes.”
Mr. Hadley said, however, that the principal goal of helping Iraq become a self-governing country that can defend itself would remain, and that a withdrawal of troops “regardless of what was happening on the ground” would not be adopted.
“That’s cut and run, and, of course, as the president has said, cut and run is not his cup of tea,” Mr. Hadley said.
Asked when Mr. Bush planned to report to Americans on his own conclusions, Mr. Hadley said, “I think it’s going to be weeks, not months.”
Mr. Hadley described a leaked memo written by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that called for “a major adjustment” in approach on Iraq, possibly including troop redeployments or withdrawals, as part of the overall review being conducted by the president.
“What Secretary Rumsfeld did, I think very helpfully, was put together a sort of laundry list of ideas that ought to be considered as part of that review,” Mr. Hadley said on the ABC News program “This Week,” referring to the memo.
Mr. Hadley used the phrase “laundry list” to characterize Mr. Rumsfeld’s suggestions on each of his three television appearances on Sunday, the third one being “Face the Nation” on CBS News.
He also said that despite his own memo expressing doubts about Iraq and the leadership of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, President Bush had confidence in Mr. Maliki and would work hard to help the Iraqis accelerate their training of military and security forces.
“They’re not there yet,” Mr. Hadley said of the Iraqi government on “This Week.” “They face enormous challenges. They don’t have all the tools that they need.” He said that when Mr. Bush met Mr. Maliki in Amman, Jordan, last week, they resolved to find ways to help the Iraqis “get greater capabilities” and “more responsibility.”
In Mr. Hadley’s memo, written on Nov. 8 after he had met with Mr. Maliki in Baghdad, he said it was unclear whether Mr. Maliki was misinformed about violence in Iraq or unwilling or unable to curb sectarian violence, including the spread of Shiite militias loyal to Moktada al-Sadr, one of Mr. Maliki’s most important political allies.
But on Sunday, Mr. Hadley said that, since then, the administration had become convinced that Mr. Maliki was doing his best to go after the militias and assume greater responsibility for Iraq’s security.
“That memo was written early in the review process, in the first week of November, as a result of a trip I took,” Mr. Hadley said on “Meet the Press.” “We have been making assessments in a variety of agencies to try and answer the questions I posed in that memo.”
After meeting with Mr. Maliki, Mr. Hadley said, Mr. Bush drew the conclusion that, as he put it last week, the Iraqi leader was “the right guy” for Iraq.
On Sunday, Mr. Hadley was repeatedly asked about his memo, which was disclosed in The New York Times last week. He denied that its disclosure was in any way authorized by the White House or his office. He said leaking it was “an effort to embarrass” Mr. Bush and Mr. Maliki on the eve of their summit meeting.
“It was outrageous,” he said of the disclosure. “It could have cast a pall over this meeting, a meeting that was very important to Iraqis and to Americans to chart the future in Iraq.” He declined to say whether the White House would investigate who disclosed the memo.