Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Washington Post
November 21, 2006
Pg. 23
By Michael A. Fletcher, Washington Post Staff Writer
BOGOR, Indonesia, Nov. 20 -- President Bush said Monday that he had made no decisions about altering the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, noting that there are "a lot of suggestions" still being evaluated.
"I haven't made any decisions about troop increases or troop decreases, and won't until I hear from a variety of sources, including our own United States military," Bush said. "They will be bringing forth the suggestions and recommendations to me here as quickly as possible."
Bush made his remarks during a news conference here following a meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, near the end of an Asian trip that included a stop at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam.
While Bush would not comment on whether he should adjust troop levels, Yudhoyono said the United States should consider disengaging from Iraq, but only in conjunction with increased international cooperation to stabilize and rebuild the country.
"The global community must be also responsible in solving the problem in Iraq," Yudhoyono said. "It is not only the responsibility . . . of the United States."
Several reviews of U.S. options in Iraq are expected to begin recommending changes in the Bush administration's policy -- a process likely to be encouraged by Democrats who won control of the House and Senate in elections this month.
One review, being conducted by the Pentagon, has laid out three basic options: a quick withdrawal, a significant increase in the number of U.S. troops, and an intermediate option that would require an increase in troops, if only for the short term.
Even with the endorsement of a Pentagon panel, or that of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, headed by former secretary of state James A. Baker III and former representative Lee H. Hamilton (D-Ind.), any increase in troops would be controversial, particularly because Democrats in recent months campaigned on the need for a plan to decrease U.S. exposure in the country.
Bush's visit to the world's most populous Muslim nation brought him in close proximity to the anti-American anger that has intensified across the Islamic world since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. In the days before his arrival, several thousand demonstrators took to the streets in nearby Jakarta to protest Bush's visit, as well as U.S. foreign policy. Other protests were held in cities across the country.
There were reports of threats against the president's party, and security was tight for his arrival. Bush shrugged off the protests, saying: "I applaud a society where people are free to come and express their opinions."
The president did not see any of the protests. After his arrival at the airport in Jakarta, he flew by helicopter to meet with the Indonesian president, even as thunderstorms pounded the area.
Bush's entire 6 1/2-hour visit to this country, the world's fourth-largest, was confined to the gated and heavily guarded Bogor Palace, an elegant 19th-century compound used for presidential events.
While Bush may be unpopular among many Indonesians, his administration has promoted increasingly close relations with the government here. After Congress suspended military assistance programs with Indonesia in 1992 and again in 1999 in response to human rights violations in East Timor, the programs were restored last year.
Meanwhile, the two nations have cooperated closely on anti-terrorism efforts. Indonesia has been the scene of deadly terrorist assaults, including bombings in Bali in 2002 and 2005 and two others in Jakarta in 2003 and 2004. The United States was also among the first nations to respond following the devastating 2004 tsunami that killed tens of thousands in Indonesia, and it is helping develop an early-warning system for the massive waves.
Before arriving here, Bush spent half a day in Ho Chi Minh City, where his focus remained on the new Vietnam. Rather than taking in any of the sites associated with the Vietnam War, the president visited a research institute working to prevent the spread of avian flu and AIDS. Bush also toured the stock market there, before meeting with business people -- some of whom returned to Vietnam after living in the United States.
"I am amazed at the size of the growth and the fact that there are people beginning to realize dreams," Bush said, praising the nation's recent strong economic development.
When the president arrived in Ho Chi Minh City from Hanoi on Sunday night, Air Force One suffered a brake malfunction upon touchdown, causing a safety system to blow the valves out of six of the plane's tires. While the mishap posed no danger to the president, it almost caused him to use a smaller backup plane for his trip here.
But Air Force mechanics were able to make repairs in time for the president's flight. After his news conference, Bush and first lady Laura Bush were the guests at a dinner, the final official event of Bush's trip to Southeast Asia. Afterward, the president departed for Honolulu, where he was to have breakfast with troops Tuesday and receive a briefing from military commanders before returning to Washington.
November 21, 2006
Pg. 23
By Michael A. Fletcher, Washington Post Staff Writer
BOGOR, Indonesia, Nov. 20 -- President Bush said Monday that he had made no decisions about altering the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, noting that there are "a lot of suggestions" still being evaluated.
"I haven't made any decisions about troop increases or troop decreases, and won't until I hear from a variety of sources, including our own United States military," Bush said. "They will be bringing forth the suggestions and recommendations to me here as quickly as possible."
Bush made his remarks during a news conference here following a meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, near the end of an Asian trip that included a stop at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam.
While Bush would not comment on whether he should adjust troop levels, Yudhoyono said the United States should consider disengaging from Iraq, but only in conjunction with increased international cooperation to stabilize and rebuild the country.
"The global community must be also responsible in solving the problem in Iraq," Yudhoyono said. "It is not only the responsibility . . . of the United States."
Several reviews of U.S. options in Iraq are expected to begin recommending changes in the Bush administration's policy -- a process likely to be encouraged by Democrats who won control of the House and Senate in elections this month.
One review, being conducted by the Pentagon, has laid out three basic options: a quick withdrawal, a significant increase in the number of U.S. troops, and an intermediate option that would require an increase in troops, if only for the short term.
Even with the endorsement of a Pentagon panel, or that of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, headed by former secretary of state James A. Baker III and former representative Lee H. Hamilton (D-Ind.), any increase in troops would be controversial, particularly because Democrats in recent months campaigned on the need for a plan to decrease U.S. exposure in the country.
Bush's visit to the world's most populous Muslim nation brought him in close proximity to the anti-American anger that has intensified across the Islamic world since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. In the days before his arrival, several thousand demonstrators took to the streets in nearby Jakarta to protest Bush's visit, as well as U.S. foreign policy. Other protests were held in cities across the country.
There were reports of threats against the president's party, and security was tight for his arrival. Bush shrugged off the protests, saying: "I applaud a society where people are free to come and express their opinions."
The president did not see any of the protests. After his arrival at the airport in Jakarta, he flew by helicopter to meet with the Indonesian president, even as thunderstorms pounded the area.
Bush's entire 6 1/2-hour visit to this country, the world's fourth-largest, was confined to the gated and heavily guarded Bogor Palace, an elegant 19th-century compound used for presidential events.
While Bush may be unpopular among many Indonesians, his administration has promoted increasingly close relations with the government here. After Congress suspended military assistance programs with Indonesia in 1992 and again in 1999 in response to human rights violations in East Timor, the programs were restored last year.
Meanwhile, the two nations have cooperated closely on anti-terrorism efforts. Indonesia has been the scene of deadly terrorist assaults, including bombings in Bali in 2002 and 2005 and two others in Jakarta in 2003 and 2004. The United States was also among the first nations to respond following the devastating 2004 tsunami that killed tens of thousands in Indonesia, and it is helping develop an early-warning system for the massive waves.
Before arriving here, Bush spent half a day in Ho Chi Minh City, where his focus remained on the new Vietnam. Rather than taking in any of the sites associated with the Vietnam War, the president visited a research institute working to prevent the spread of avian flu and AIDS. Bush also toured the stock market there, before meeting with business people -- some of whom returned to Vietnam after living in the United States.
"I am amazed at the size of the growth and the fact that there are people beginning to realize dreams," Bush said, praising the nation's recent strong economic development.
When the president arrived in Ho Chi Minh City from Hanoi on Sunday night, Air Force One suffered a brake malfunction upon touchdown, causing a safety system to blow the valves out of six of the plane's tires. While the mishap posed no danger to the president, it almost caused him to use a smaller backup plane for his trip here.
But Air Force mechanics were able to make repairs in time for the president's flight. After his news conference, Bush and first lady Laura Bush were the guests at a dinner, the final official event of Bush's trip to Southeast Asia. Afterward, the president departed for Honolulu, where he was to have breakfast with troops Tuesday and receive a briefing from military commanders before returning to Washington.