President Bush on Iraq.

President Bush: "The Best Way To Begin Bringing [Troops] Home Is To Make Sure Our New Strategy Succeeds"

President Bush Discusses Interim Report To Congress On Progress Toward Iraq Benchmarks

"…[W]e need to ensure that when U.S. forces do pull back, the terrorists and extremists cannot take control. The strategy that General Petraeus and the troops he commands are now carrying out is the best opportunity to bring us to this point. So I ask Congress to provide them with the time and resources they need. The men and women of the United States military have made enormous sacrifices in Iraq. They have achieved great things, and the best way to begin bringing them home is to make sure our new strategy succeeds."

– President George W. Bush, 7/12/07

President Bush: "Today, my administration has submitted to Congress an interim report that requires us to assess … whether satisfactory progress toward meeting these benchmarks [in Iraq] is or is not being achieved." "Those who believe that the battle in Iraq is lost will likely point to the unsatisfactory performance on some of the political benchmarks. Those of us who believe the battle in Iraq can and must be won see the satisfactory performance on several of the security benchmarks as a cause for optimism." (President George W. Bush, Press Conference, The White House, 7/12/07)

· "Of the 18 benchmarks Congress asked us to measure, we can report that satisfactory progress is being made in eight areas." "For example, Iraqis have provided the three brigades they promised for operations in and around Baghdad. And the Iraqi government is spending nearly $7.3 billion from its own funds this year to train, equip and modernize its forces."

· "In eight other areas, the Iraqis have much more work to do." "For example, they've not done enough to prepare for local elections or pass a law to share oil revenues."

· "And in two remaining areas, progress is too mixed to be characterized one way or the other."

"It's Not Surprising That Political Progress Is Lagging Behind … Security Gains"

President Bush: "Our strategy is built on the premise that progress on security will pave the way for political progress. So it's not surprising that political progress is lagging behind the security gains we are seeing."

· "Economic development funds are critical to helping Iraq make this political progress." "Today I'm exercising the waiver authority granted me by Congress to release a substantial portion of those funds."

"This Is A Preliminary Report – And It Comes Less Than A Month After The Final Reinforcements Arrived In Iraq"

President Bush: "In September, as Congress has required, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will return to Washington to provide a more comprehensive assessment." "By that time, we hope to see further improvement in the positive areas and the beginning of improvement in the negative areas."

· "We'll also have a clearer picture of how the new strategy is unfolding, and be in a better position to judge where we need to make any adjustments."

· "I will rely on General Petraeus to give me his recommendations for the appropriate troop levels in Iraq." "…[W]e owe it to our troops to support our commanders – smart, capable people who are devising a strategy that will enable us to succeed... "

"The Strategy I Announced In January Is Designed To … Make Possible A More Limited Role In Iraq For The United States"

President Bush: "I believe we can succeed, and I believe we are making security progress that will enable the political track to succeed as well." "By doing this, we'll create the conditions that will allow our troops to begin coming home, while securing our long-term national interests in Iraq and in the region."

· "When we start drawing down our forces in Iraq, it will [be] because our military commanders say the conditions on the ground are right, not because pollsters say it'll be good politics."

· "…[I]f our troops thought that I was taking a poll to decide how to conduct this war, they would be very concerned about the mission." "In other words, if our troops said, … here we are in combat and we've got a Commander-in-Chief who is … running a focus group – in other words, politics … is more important to him than our safety and/or our strategy. That would dispirit our troops."

· "To begin withdrawing before our commanders tell us we're ready would be dangerous for Iraq, for the region and for the United States. It would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to Al Qaida."

"The Way To Defeat … Radicals And Extremists Is To Offer Alternative Ways Of Life"

President Bush: "Now the fundamental question facing America is will we stand with this young democracy? … Will we help them become an ally in this war against extremists and radicals…?" "This is a difficult war, and it's a tough war. But as I have consistently stated … it is a necessary war to secure our peace."

· "I firmly believe that you'll see the democracy movement continue to advance throughout the Middle East if the United States doesn't become isolationist." "That's why I told you that I'm making sure that we continue to stay diplomatically involved in the region. Condi Rice and Bob Gates will be traveling there in early August to continue to remind our friends and allies that ... one, we view them as strategic partners, and secondly, that we want them to work toward … a freer society, and to help this Iraqi government survive."