Bush Iraq Update May Be After New Year
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 12, 2006
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush, about to wrap up an intense effort to arrive at a new course for Iraq, now is likely to lay out his plan to the nation early next year instead of before Christmas, a senior White House official said Tuesday.
The possible new timing is not a reflection of a last-minute shift by the White House, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision was not final. Instead, the official said the president knows the direction he is likely to take his Iraq strategy and has directed his team to address the many the practical ramifications, such as for military tactics and regional diplomacy.
That work is complicated and not finished, the official said. He dismissed any suggestions that this reflects trouble arriving at decisions, or making them work.
The announcement out of the White House came after Bush conferred via videoconference with senior military commanders in Iraq, outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and his replacement Robert Gates; the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace; and Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East. Participating from Iraq was Gen. George Casey, the chief U.S. commander in Iraq. Earlier Bush and Gates had breakfast.
Later in the day, the president was to meet in the Oval Office with Iraq's Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashemi....
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