[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 2 (Monday, January 21, 2008)]
[Pages 59-62]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 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

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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.
    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 coast guardsmen, 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/Appreciation for Americans 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

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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 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.
    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--we 
can't reform our own pension system, like Social Security, but they did. 
And is that the only answer? No. 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

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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 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.