The conditions on the ground in Iraq have improved so much that the President is able to tell 8,000 military men and women to pack up, because they are leaving Iraq:
Photo by soldiersmediacenter Bush, who has seen his job approval rating sink to record lows because of the prolonged wars, has repeatedly said he would only withdraw troops from Iraq if his military advisers recommended it based on security conditions in the war zone.
“While the progress in Iraq is still fragile and reversible, Gen. (David) Petraeus and Ambassador (Ryan) Crocker report that there now appears to be a ‘degree of durability’ to the gains we have made,” Bush plans to say at the National Defense University, according to remarks released on Monday by the White House.
He will say some 3,400 combat support troops would leave Iraq over the coming months along with a Marine battalion by November. Another one of the 15 Army combat brigades will leave in February, Bush plans to say.
He is going to start beefing up the numbers in Afghanistan, to deal with a strong Taliban presence there.
