08 Jan 2007 15:41:20 GMT
Source: Reuters
Bush shows little sign of bending to critics, apparently believing history will vindicate him for a war that has killed more than 3,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis.
The administration wants to keep the troop influx limited, in part to avoid the appearance of a last-ditch bid to pacify the capital, where there is no guarantee of success.
Should the effort fail, analysts believe a main culprit will be a lack of political will on the part of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for achieving national reconciliation.
Even then, few experts think Bush would use that as political cover for starting a phased troop withdrawal that polls show the American public overwhelmingly favors.
Most expect him instead to dig in his heels against congressional Democrats' attempts to force him to set an exit strategy, mindful that they are unlikely to resort to cutting off funding to the troops.
"This is a president who doesn't change his mind easily, and he's decided to tough it out in Iraq to the bitter end, even if it makes no sense," said Joseph Cirincione of the Center for American Progress, a liberal Washington think tank.
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Bush's Latest Plan To Perpetuate His Bloody Iraq Failure
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=3067502&mesg_id=3067502http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree