President will not play politics with troop deployments

AP/Houston Chronicle:

President Bush said Thursday he will not jeopardize security gains in Iraq by withdrawing U.S. forces too fast, another signal that troop reductions could slow or stop altogether this summer.

The president said he would resist any temptation to bring troops home to score political points with a war-weary public or compromise with Democrats in Congress seeking to wind down the war.

The U.S. troop commitment is expected to be down to roughly 130,000 to 135,000 by July, the same number as before Bush sent in reinforcements a year ago.

"You know, a lot of folks say, 'What's next, Mr. President?' " Bush said. "And my answer is, 'We have come too far in this important theater in this war on terror not to make sure that we succeed.' And therefore, any further troops reductions will be based on commanders and conditions.

"The temptation of course is for people to, you know, say 'Make sure you do the politically right thing,' " Bush told members of the Nevada Policy Research Institute. "That's not my nature. That's not exactly what we're going to do."

In Washington, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said any halt to reducing the troops that were part of military buildup demonstrates the president's "insistence on a war without end."

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Pelosi continues to show her ignorance of warfare. Pulling the troops out before the war is over will only prolong the war and give the enemy a victory that he has not earned. It is just that kind of ignorance that shows how unqualified Democrats like Pelosi are for leadership. They should not be trusted on matters of national security. It is why conservatives should not votre for any Democrat who will vote for her in a leadership race.