Bush tells Iraq PM: Ignore deadline talk

[ProSense]

Bush tells Iraq PM: Ignore deadline talk

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 56 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush personally assured Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Monday that he has no plans to pull troops out and told him to ignore rumors the United States would enforce a timeline against Baghdad.

The president's pledge came in a 15-minute morning phone call with al-Maliki, who told Bush he was concerned because he had been hearing that the United States was giving him a two-month timeline to operate on his own.

"He said that rumors sometimes can undercut confidence in the government and also its ability to work effectively in fighting terror," said Bush spokesman Tony Snow. "And the president said, `Don't worry, you still have our full support.' "

Snow said he wasn't clear where the rumors were coming from. He said that in his talk with al-Maliki, Bush did not express any sense of urgency. Casualties have been increasing amid almost daily violence that has eroded support for the war in the United States.

more...

US Military Studying Phased Troop Withdrawal From Iraq-CNN

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- The U.S. Defense Department is considering a new option in Iraq that will force the Iraqis to set timetables for taking over security in the country, thereby reducing the need for U.S. troops there over time, Cable News Network reported Monday, citing Pentagon sources.

CNN said one source called it "reverse timelines."

The Bush administration, CNN said, is expected to start talking about a phased withdrawal from Iraq. The White House has criticized calls for troop withdrawal from Iraq, terming it a "cut-and-run" strategy.

A commission backed by President George W. Bush and headed by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III that is exploring U.S. options in Iraq is expected to propose significant changes in the administration's strategy by early next year, including withdrawing U.S. troops in phases, The Los Angeles Times reported in its Monday editions.

Has anyone read this or heard this CNN report?

KERRY-FEINGOLD: A DEADLINE FOR IRAQ

[Supersedeas]

1. either out of touch, lying or in a state of denial--what is a foreign head

of state to think of the Chimperor.