New Pentagon chief briefs Bush on Iraq

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates headed to Camp David on Saturday to brief President Bush and his national-security team on his impressions from Iraq as the administration worked to craft a new strategy to turn around the war.

Fresh from his first visit to Iraq since taking over the Pentagon, Gates met with Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, national-security adviser Stephen Hadley and deputy national-security adviser J.D. Crouch for an hour at the presidential retreat in Maryland. Among the options on the table is an increase in troop levels.

"The president is pleased with the progress being made" in the strategy review, White House spokesman Blain Rethmeier said. He declined to discuss details of the briefing at Camp David or which options appear to be more likely to be adopted. "The president is leaving all options on the table on the way forward."

Bush used a radio address to pay tribute to troops serving far from families at Christmas and reassured them that the public supports them, regardless of the strategy review and change in control of Congress.

"I want our troops to know that while the coming year will bring change, one thing will not change, and that is our nation's support for you and the vital work you do to achieve a victory in Iraq," he said. "The American people are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers, and we will make sure you have the resources you need to accomplish your mission."

Bush initially had hoped to unveil a fresh approach to Iraq before Christmas, but he delayed a decision until the new year to give Gates a chance to educate himself and offer his evaluation of the situation. Gates, who was sworn in to succeed Donald Rumsfeld on Monday, has privately criticized the handling of the war and advocated ideas that Bush has ruled out, such as talking with Iran and Syria.

Gates brought back details of the Iraqi government's proposed new strategy. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — who, like most Iraqis, is Shiite — has devised a two-pronged plan in which U.S. forces would target Sunni insurgents in Baghdad's outer neighborhoods instead of Shiite militias. Iraqi forces would take over security of the center of the capital while al-Maliki works to contain Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia. Under such a plan, al-Maliki would accept an increase in U.S. troops in Baghdad.

The White House has been contemplating sending 15,000 to 30,000 more troops to Iraq, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff have resisted the idea unless a clear, achievable mission is defined. The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that Gen. George Casey, the top Iraq commander, will recommend a so-called surge. The White House and the Pentagon had no official comment on the report.

A Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, took issue with the account.

"To say that Casey wants more forces, that isn't the case," the official said. Indeed, he said, Casey told Gates in Iraq that an infusion of U.S. forces would not help him politically with the Iraqi government and could impede reconciliation efforts.

"Casey's position all along has been, 'If you want to put additional forces in, I'm not opposed to that — if it serves the strategic purpose, which is to put Iraqis in the lead,' " the official said. Casey and Gates agreed that under the current "clear, hold and build" approach, more U.S. troops would be useful only in conjunction with a broader reconstruction effort to "hold" areas after they have been cleared.