Despite growing calls to withdraw President Bush said Tuesday that "it would be a terrible mistake" to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq. "We will make decisions about troops levels based upon the capability of the Iraqis to take the fight to the enemy," Bush said, according to the AP. "I will make decisions on the level of troops based upon the recommendations of commanders on the ground."
The argument against pullout was echoed in Washington by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who said quitting the war would allow "insurgents" to prevail and put the United States "at still greater risk." "Quitting is not an exit strategy," Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon news conference.
Talking with reporters in Texas, Bush said he would make decisions about troop levels based on the advice of military commanders. "If they tell me the Iraqis are ready to take more and more responsibility and that we'll be able to bring some Americans home, I will do that," the US leader stated. "It's their recommendation."
"Secondly, we want to win," Bush said. "The whole objective is to achieve victory against the terrorists." "I'm interested in winning. I want to defeat the terrorists. And I want our troops to come home," the president said. "But I don't want them to come how without having achieved victory. We've got a strategy for victory."
