    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [January 12, 2008]
    [Pages 66-70]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Meeting With Senior Administration Officials and an
    Exchange With Reporters at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait
    January 12, 2008

        Good morning. I just had a really good meeting with Ambassador
    Crocker, General Petraeus, Secretary Rice, and members
    of my national security team. We discussed the situation in Iraq. We
    discussed the progress that's being made, the challenges that lie ahead,
    and we discussed the fact that what happens in Iraq impacts everything
    else in this vital region.
        I really appreciate you all coming over, but more importantly, I
    appreciate your service to the country.
        One year ago, I addressed the American people to announce a new way
    forward in Iraq. At that time, Iraq was riven by sectarian violence. The
    violence had increased over the course of 2006, and it threatened the
    collapse of the political process. Economic activity was languishing. Al
    Qaida was strengthening its grip in critical parts of Iraq, including
    parts of the capital city of Baghdad. Shi'a extremist groups, some with
    the backing from Iran, were increasing their attacks on coalition and
    Iraqi forces.
        Our strategy simply wasn't working, and the world was watching. Our
    friends and foes had the same question: Would we turn our back on our
    friends and allow Iraq

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    to descend into chaos? Or would we change our approach and stand with
    the Iraqi people and help them take back their country from the
    terrorists and extremists?
        We chose to support our Iraqi partners; we chose to help them
    protect the Iraqi people from the terrorists and radicals. The new way
    forward I announced 1 year ago changed our approach in fundamental ways.
    We sent more combat troops to Iraq. We refocused their mission to
    protecting the Iraqi people and to fighting the enemy in the strongholds
    and denying sanctuary anywhere in the country. We began a diplomatic
    surge to cut off the networks of foreign fighters that were flowing into
    Iraq from Syria and to cut the support of Shi'a extremists coming from
    Iran and to encourage the region to give more support to the Iraqi
    Government. We surged civilians into Iraq to support our military
    efforts, doubling the number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams and
    facilitating Iraqi political reconciliation from the bottom up.
        I nominated General Petraeus and
    Ambassador Crocker to carry out this new
    strategy. This was a tough assignment for them. And they and all the
    good men and women they're privileged to lead are doing an outstanding
    job.
        Iraq is now a different place from 1 year ago. Much hard work
    remains, but levels of violence are significantly reduced. Hope is
    returning to Baghdad, and hope is returning to towns and villages
    throughout the country. Iraqis who fled the violence are beginning to
    return and rebuild their lives.
        Al Qaida remains dangerous, and it will continue to target the
    innocent with violence. But we've dealt Al Qaida in Iraq heavy blows,
    and it now faces a growing uprising of ordinary Iraqis who want to live
    peaceful lives. Extremist militias remain a concern, but they too have
    been disrupted, and moderates are turning on those who espouse violence.
    Iran's role in fomenting violence has been exposed. Iranian agents are
    in our custody, and we are learning more about how Iran has supported
    extremist groups with training and lethal aid.
        Iraqis are gradually take control of their country. Over the past
    year, Iraqi forces conducted a surge of their own, generating well over
    100,000 more Iraqi police and soldiers to sustain the security gains.
    Tens of thousands of concerned local citizens are protecting their
    communities and working with coalition and Iraqi forces to ensure Al
    Qaida cannot return. The Iraqi Government is distributing oil revenues
    across the country so that reconstruction can follow hard-won security
    gains. And from Kirkuk to Ramadi to Karbala to Baghdad, the people of
    Iraq--Sunni, Shi'a, and Kurd--are coming together at the grassroots to
    build a common future.
        These improvements are allowing some U.S. forces to return home, a
    return on success that has now begun. One Army brigade and one Marine
    expeditionary unit have already come home, and they will not be
    replaced. In the coming months, four additional brigades and two Marine
    battalions will follow suit. Any additional reduction will be based on
    the recommendation of General Petraeus,
    and those recommendations will be based entirely on the conditions on
    the ground in Iraq.
        The months ahead offer prospects for further progress. Iraq's local
    leaders need to continue to improve conditions from the bottom up. And
    Iraq's national leaders need to follow up on the successful adoption of
    pension reform by passing a revised de-Ba'athification law and a
    national budget. And the linkages between the local and national levels
    must be strengthened and expanded. Iraqi security forces need to
    continue to grow and improve and take the fight to Al Qaida and other
    extremist groups. Criminals need to be defeated in Iraqi neighborhoods.
    Syria needs to further reduce the flow of terrorists to the territory,
    especially suicide bombers. Iran must stop supporting the militia
    special groups that attack Iraqi and coalition forces and kidnap and
    kill Iraqi officials.

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        The international community must remain engaged, including through
    the third expanded ministerial meeting on Iraq, which will take place
    right here in Kuwait. I had the honor last night of telling His
    Highness how much we
    appreciated the fact that Kuwait has taken the lead in hosting these
    meetings.
        We cannot take the achievements of 2007 for granted. We must do all
    we can to ensure that 2008 brings even greater progress for Iraq's young
    democracy.
        America is going to do our part. Long-term success in Iraq is vital
    to our friends here in the region and to America's national security.
    And long-term success will require active U.S. engagement that outlasts
    my Presidency. So at the invitation of Iraqi leaders, we're now building
    an enduring relationship with Iraq. This relationship will have
    diplomatic, economic, and security components, similar to relationships
    we have with Kuwait and other nations in this region and around the
    world. Most important, in a place where Saddam Hussein once menaced the
    world, the new U.S.-Iraqi relationship will strengthen a democracy that
    serves its people, fights terrorists, and serves as a beacon of freedom
    for millions across the Middle East.
        Ambassador Crocker and General
    Petraeus will continue to carry out our
    policy in Iraq. And they need to get back to Baghdad, so I better stop
    talking. I want to thank them for your service. I want you to thank your
    families for how much I appreciate your sacrifices. I also want to thank
    the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coastguardsmen, as well as
    the diplomats, intelligence officers, civilian employees, and
    contractors and all their families who are doing the work necessary to
    lay the foundation for peace.
        Thank you all for being here, and God bless you.
        I'll answer a couple of questions. I'm going to ask them to lay out
    for a second; hold on for a minute.
        Yes.

    U.S. Troop Levels in Iraq/U.S. Personnel Serving Overseas

        Q. Mr. President, did you hear anything today that makes you think
    that you can accelerate the troop withdrawals that you already talked
    about?
        The President. General Petraeus made
    it clear to me that, from his perspective, that conditions on the ground
    will be that which guides his recommendations. And I made it clear
    that's what I want. In other words, our general has got to understand
    that success in Iraq is critical. In other words, that ought to be the
    primary concern when it comes to determining troop levels. And no better
    person to ask as to--on how to achieve success in Iraq than the general
    in charge of Iraq.
        So that's what we discussed about. He
    didn't talk about specific levels; he talked about continually assessing
    the situation on the ground and will report to Congress in March. I
    wanted to assure him that any decision he recommends needs to be based
    upon success. That's what happened the last time around. When we were
    failing, I said, what's it take to--what do you need to win, not lose?
    What is it we need to--what troop levels do we need to make sure that we
    can achieve this objective?
        And a lot of people thought that I was going to recommend pulling
    out or pulling back. Quite the contrary; I recommended increasing the
    number of forces so they could get more in the fight, because I believe
    all along, if people are given a chance to live in a free society,
    they'll do the hard work necessary to live in a free society.
        And I understand the fundamental conflict we're in. We're in a
    conflict between those who want to live in peace and those who murder
    the innocent to achieve a hateful vision. People say, ``What are you
    talking about, hateful vision?'' Well, I said, all you got to do is look
    at what life was like if you were a young girl under the Taliban in
    Afghanistan. These haters have no vision

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    of hope. They want to impose their ideology on every man, woman, and
    child in the societies which they feel like they should dominate. Our
    vision is different, and the vision of most Iraqis is different. And
    that is, they want to be free; they want to be able to express
    themselves in a free society. And I believe, if given a chance, the
    ordinary citizen will sacrifice for that vision every time. But they
    needed the security; they needed the feeling of security in order to do
    so.
        So it's that same principle that's going to guide my decision. And I
    made it clear to the general that I need
    to know his considered judgment about what it takes to make sure the
    security gains we have achieved remain in place. And that's what the
    discussion was about, besides me thanking him.
        But we cannot take for granted our troops overseas and our diplomats
    overseas. These folks have been gone from their home for a long time,
    and they miss their families. And so one of the purposes of this trip is
    to make it abundantly clear to those serving our country that, one, they
    have earned the respect of the United States of America, and that as the
    President of a great country, I look forward to telling these great
    people how much we admire them and appreciate them.
        Yes.

    U.S. Troop Levels in Iraq

        Q. It sounds like you feel like you're on track for a possible
    drawdown. Can you say that you feel you're on track from what you heard
    from General Petraeus?
        The President. I think the only thing I can tell you we're on track
    for is to follow through on that which he
    recommended last September and that we'll be on track getting down to
    15. And that's what we're on track for. My attitude is, if he didn't
    want to continue the drawdown, that's fine with me, in order to make
    sure we succeed, see. I said to the general, if you want to slow her
    down, fine; it's up to you. And so the only thing I can tell you we're
    on track for is, we're doing what we said was going to happen: One
    battalion is out; the Marines are out to the extent that we said they
    were going to come out; and then four more are coming down and be out by
    July, just like he recommended.

    Progress in Iraq

        Q. What about the political benchmarks? Do those no longer matter?
        The President. Of course they matter. They matter to the Iraqis a
    lot. It's a sign of reconciliation. I just mentioned they passed a
    pension law, which, of course, got a huge yawn in our press. But
    that's--well, that's okay. [Laughter] But it was a--we can't pass our--
    we can't reform our own pension system, like Social Security, but they
    did. And is that the only answer? No. I mean, they got a lot more work
    to do, but they're passing law. And they're now in the process of a
    budget--getting their budget passed and a de-Ba'ath law. And we expect
    them to work hard on the federalism issue. And yes, that's absolutely
    important, benchmarks.
        Q. Are they behind where you thought they would be, the significant
    benchmarks?
        The President. Are they behind? I wouldn't say ``significant.'' I
    think that's an exaggeration of what I think. I would say that I wish
    they had passed more law. Of course, in December, I was wishing our
    Legislature had passed more law at times too. But, no, they've got work
    to do, no question about it. There are two types of reconciliation: that
    which can be achieved by passage of national law; and the other kind is
    the bottom-up reconciliation, where people in neighborhoods are just--
    who are sick and tired of criminality and violence say, ``Look, let's do
    something about it.''
        That's--one of the interesting things, Martha [Martha Raddatz, ABC
    News], and you follow this a lot closer than a lot of these other folks
    have--not to be blowing your horn or anything, but--is these concerned
    citizen groups, CLCs, people who

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    have stepped forward and said, we've had enough of this; we're sick and
    tired of violence. Some 80,000 local citizens who are now helping
    provide local security so their children can have--grow up in a free
    society, and they can be peaceful; that's what you're seeing. And a part
    of the Iraqi surge was not only 100,000 additional troops and police,
    but local citizens coming forward and to--helping to provide security
    for their neighborhoods. And that's bottom-up reconciliation.
        I'm not making excuses for a government, but to go from a tyranny to
    a democracy overnight is virtually impossible. And so when you say, am I
    pleased with the progress? What they have gone through and where they
    are today, I think, is good progress. Have they done enough? No. Are we
    going to continue to work with them to do more? Absolutely. Absolutely.
    Our message is very clear: It's in your interest that you pass good law.
    And so I'm optimistic they'll get laws passed here pretty quick, and
    we'll continue to press to make it happen.
        Listen, thank you very much. I'm going to speak to the troops, and
    I'm looking forward to it. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:05 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA, commanding general, Multi-National Force--
    Iraq; and Amir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah of Kuwait.