10.25.2006

Washington, D.C.

Rand Beers, President of the National Security Network, reacting to President Bush's press conference today said that, "All we heard today was some new rhetoric but unfortunately we are stuck with the 'same old, same old' policy. While the President acknowledges the obvious need for flexible tactics, he refuses to see that the strategy is failing and needs to be changed."

Referring to mixed signals from the President, General Casey and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki regarding timetables, benchmarks and troop strength, Beers said, "There is even more confusion now about what our strategy is. How and when are we going to achieve our goals?  The President, General Casey and Maliki don't seem to be on the same page."

When asked today about increasing troops today the Commander and Chief passed the buck to General Casey said yesterday that he may have to ask for more troops but at the same time Ambassador Khalilzad says we have a “realistic timetable” of 12-18 months.

President Bush says a “fixed timetable means defeat.”  Yet Khalilzad and Casey said yesterday that we have a “realistic timetable” of 12-18 months and that the Iraqis have benchmarks to meet by the end of the year.

Iraq President Maliki says that “no one has the right to impose a timetable…  I am positive that this is not the official policy of the American people but rather a result of the ongoing election campaign and that doesn’t concern us much.”

"The President talked about his goals in Iraq but never spelled out any kind of plan to achieve them," Beers added. “We’ve gone from ‘stay the course’ to no course at all.”