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The "Likely" Cowboy: Bush Hedges Success in Iraq

January 26, 2007 2:01 PM

ABC News' Karen Travers Reports: With just one word, did President Bush downplay expectations for his new strategy in Iraq?

President Bush seemed less confident in his rhetoric this morning in the Oval Office, using the word likely three times in one minute in describing the probability of success for his new Iraq strategy.

“Of course, I had to think about what's likely to work. And so I worked with our military and I worked with Secretary Gates to come up with a plan that is likely to succeed. And the implementer of that plan is going to be General Petraeus. I've listened to lots of members of Congress. I've listened carefully to their suggestions. And I have picked the plan that I think is most likely to succeed."

President Bush is usually much more resolute when talking about the situation in Iraq and the future there. He talks generally about how it is necessary to succeed/win in Iraq but on January 10 at Fort Benning, he said the U.S. “will succeed in Iraq." In nearly every campaign speech last fall, Bush declared that the U.S. will win in Iraq.

Iraq – Senate resolutions

President Bush called himself the “decision maker” (not “the decider” as he called himself last April) and said he had to come up with a way forward in Iraq “that precluded disaster.”

He acknowledged that there is skepticism and pessimism on Capitol Hill and said some at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue are condemning his plan before its even had a chance to work.

“[T]hey have a obligation and a serious responsibility, therefore, to put out their own plan as to what would work. I've listened to lots of members of Congress.  I've listened carefully to their suggestions.  And I have picked the plan that I think is most likely to succeed.”

Iran/Iraq

President Bush said the U.S. policy is to “protect our troops in Iraq” and said that the idea that the U.S. wants to “expand this beyond the borders” is not accurate.

“It makes sense that if somebody's trying to harm our troops, or stop us from achieving our goal, or killing innocent citizens in Iraq, that we will stop them. It's an obligation we all have is to protect -- is to protect our folks and achieve our goal,” the President said. “ Now, some are trying to say that because we're enforcing -- helping ourselves in Iraq by stopping outside influences from killing our soldiers or hurting Iraqi people, that we want to expand this beyond the borders. That's a presumption that simply is not accurate.”

“Yes, we're going to continue to protect ourselves in Iraq and at the same time work to solve their problems with Iran diplomatically, and I believe we can succeed,” Bush said.

January 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0)

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