| 2007: Bush says some 'satisfactory' progress in Iraq |
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7/12/2007 President George W. Bush's administration will declare in a key report that "satisfactory" progress is being made in Iraq on less than half of the political and military goals set out by Congress, US newspapers said Thursday. But the report will add the caveat that even in cases where the performance of the Iraqi government has been unsatisfactory, it is too early to reach definitive judgments, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed Bush administration officials. The White House report, which has taken on added political significance amid mounting opposition to the war, was ordered by Congress as an interim assessment of Bush's strategy to deploy additional troops in Iraq. The report, expected to be released this week, says most progress has been achieved on the security front, including a decline in civilian casualties from sectarian violence and car and truck bombings, the New York Times said. The report will "not conclude, as it has been characterized, that this is a colossal failure," an administration official told the Times. Opponents of the war in Congress argue that virtually no progress has been made in Iraq since Bush sent 30,000 extra troops earlier this year to quell violence and help efforts for political reconciliation. The report acknowledges that political progress has been "insufficient," according to the Washington Post. The White House report describes positive movement on eight of the 18 goals, a lack of progress on eight others and mixed results for two benchmarks, the Washington Post reported. On the political side, the report says the Iraqi parliament has so far failed to adopt or even begin debate on crucial legislation for the country's oil industry and revenue-sharing. The report is particularly critical of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government for failing to secure a law that would make it easier for former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to get government jobs, the Times wrote. US officials consider the law vital to defuse sectarian tensions between the Shiite-led government and the country's Sunni minority. Under legislation recently passed by Congress, if Bush fails to certify progress on each of the 18 goals, the president would have to propose changes in strategy or face a possible reduction in war funding. Bush will likely cite the report to back up his pleas for more time to allow his "surge" strategy to work, officials told the Post. The report was drafted by the National Security Council and included contributions from the Defense Department, the State Department, the commander of US forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus and the US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, the newspaper said. US intelligence officials gave a more pessimistic assessment of events in Iraq in testimony before Congress on Wednesday, saying the US "surge" strategy was unlikely to stem the bloodshed or end political deadlock. Bush says some 'satisfactory' progress in Iraq - Source |