Bush calls victory in Iraq "achievable"

WASHINGTON — The debate over sending more U.S. troops to Iraq intensified Wednesday as President Bush signaled he will listen, but not necessarily defer to, balky military officers.

Meanwhile, as expected, Army Gen. John Abizaid, his top Middle East commander and a leading skeptic of a so-called "surge" of U.S. troops, announced his retirement.

At an end-of-the-year news conference, Bush said he agrees with generals "that there's got to be a specific mission that can be accomplished" before he decides to send 15,000 to 30,000 more troops to the war zone.

Bush traditionally has paid public deference to the generals, saying any decisions on moving U.S. forces in the region would depend on their views. But he did not repeat the assertion that he will heed his commanders on the ground when it comes to troop levels.

Asked about his comment to The Washington Post this week that the United States is neither winning nor losing the war, Bush replied: "Victory in Iraq is achievable."

It was reported this week that the Joint Chiefs of Staff has opposed sending additional forces without a clear mission, seeing the idea as ill-conceived and an attempt to do something different in the war even without a defined purpose.

Abizaid's retirement in March had been expected, given that he has led the U.S. Central Command longer than any predecessor and had extended his assignment at the request of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. But Abizaid has been a forceful voice of doubt about the surge, and his imminent departure could make it easier for the White House to shift direction.

During a news conference in Baghdad alongside newly installed Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Abizaid declined to discuss troop levels except to say "all options are on the table," and he characterized his retirement as appropriate. "No decision that anybody makes in a position like this is ever totally their decision," he said, "but I think the time is right."

Gates gave no hints as to what new strategy he preferred but acknowledged he and U.S. generals had discussed the possibility of a surge of U.S. forces into Baghdad.

Army Gen. George Casey, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, who has been resistant to increasing troop levels, appeared to qualify his objections after meeting with Gates. "I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea," he said.

Testifying before a Senate committee Nov. 15, Abizaid rejected the surge option, saying: "I do not believe that more American troops right now is the solution to the problem. I believe that the troop levels need to stay where they are."

At a July news conference, Bush said he would defer to Casey on troop levels. "Gen. Casey will make the decisions as to how many troops we have there," Bush said, adding: "He'll decide how best to achieve victory and the troop levels necessary to do so. I've spent a lot of time talking to him about troop levels. And I've told him this: I said, 'You decide, General.' "

By Wednesday, however, Bush indicated he will not necessarily let military leaders decide. "The opinion of my commanders is very important," he said. "They are bright, capable, smart people whose opinion matters to me a lot."

He added, "I agree with them that there's got to be a specific mission that can be accomplished with the addition of more troops before I agree on that strategy."

Bush said that if he did not think the United States could accomplish its objectives in Iraq, U.S. troops would not be there. "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 said. "They think they can."

The president also said he is "inclined to believe" the Army and Marines must increase the size of their permanent forces.

White House officials revealed Tuesday that Bush was considering a boost in permanent-force levels, and he talked about the idea with The Washington Post.