Iraq Timetable for Withdrawal

The Bush Administration is firmly opposed to setting timetables for withdrawal in Iraq; they want military strategy to be dictated by generals on the ground. Unless there is an election to worry about:

The Bush administration is developing what are described as concepts for reducing American combat forces in Iraq by as much as half next year, according to senior administration officials in the midst of the internal debate.

It is the first indication that growing political pressure is forcing the White House to turn its attention to what happens after the current troop increase runs its course.

The concepts call for a reduction in forces that could lower troop levels by the midst of the 2008 presidential election to roughly 100,000, from about 146,000, the latest available figure, which the military reported on May 1. They would also greatly scale back the mission that President Bush set for the American military when he ordered it in January to win back control of Baghdad and Anbar Province.

The article notes that this does not jive with the strategy of the generals in charge. But it's all politics for these people. Whatever it takes to win and remain in power they will do. It doesn't matter whether its legal, ethical, smart, or right. Winning is everything.