Bush sweeps into Iraq on eve of Congress hearings

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Washington - On the eve of crucial congressional hearings on Iraq, US President George W Bush Monday took the debate over future strategy directly to the war zone, pulling the limelight to one of the few bright spots in the war-ravaged country.

By Pat Reber

Bush travelled with his "A-team" - his defence and foreign secretaries and the top Pentagon commander - on a secret journey to Anbar province, to demonstrate how local Sunni tribes have joined US forces to fight terrorist groups.

The bold move not only captured public attention on a major US holiday when little else was happening, but also served notice to the Democratically-controlled Congress as it opens hearings Tuesday on a report by its investigative arm on political and military progress in Iraq.

"When we begin to draw down, it will be from a position of strength and success, not ... from fear and failure," Bush told a gathering of cheering US Marines in Al Assad. His remarks were broadcast live in the US.

Bush has been giving similar speeches in the US over recent months, and Pentagon officials have openly indicated that troop reductions could begin by mid 2008.

But the dramatic backdrop of desert sands and camouflage uniforms provided a political bully pulpit, and Bush pleaded with Congress and the American public to wait until September 10, when the commanding general in Iraq, David Petraeus, and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker deliver their side of the story.

Bush said that Petraeus and Crocker had told him that "if the kind of success we're now seeing (in Anbar) continues, it will be possible to maintain the same level of security with fewer American forces."

September is a pivotal mark for measuring success in the war. Bush pledged a reevaluation this month to a Congress sceptical about the wisdom of committing an added 30,000 US troops earlier this year.

Bush used the unexpected visit to draw top officials of the struggling Iraqi national government to Anbar to show them how Sunni tribes have joined US forces to fight terrorist groups, and to encourage the government to create similar successes elsewhere.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's currency with US Congress has been waning as the months drag on without a reconciliation agreement in the national government. Even Bush has expressed frustration with al-Maliki's lacking leadership and there have been calls for al-Maliki's resignation in Washington.

Minority Sunnis charge that the majority Shia leader has used his power to wreak revenge for the repression of the Saddam Hussein years.

"I know the pace of progress is frustrating for the American people, for the Iraqi people," Bush conceded.

Bush described the meetings of his top advisors - Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Peter Pace and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - with top officials in al- Maliki's government as a "good frank discussion."

"They're here in Anbar because they know success in Anbar depends on the Iraqi government support," Bush said. He noted that the government was now sharing oil revenues with the Sunni-dominated Anbar.

Bush admonished the Iraqi government to "follow up" on Anbar's success and learn from how it came about.

It was clear however that his American audience was equally on his mind. "It's vital we work to bring America together behind a common vision for Iraq," Bush said.

Bush's third visit to Iraq since the war began in March 2003 was a stop-over on his way to an economic summit of Pacific rim nations in Australia.

Bush said the success in Anbar, where Sunni tribal leaders have flipped their support from al-Qaeda and insurgents to US forces, showed that his strategy of adding 30,000 more troops to Iraq earlier this year was working.

Anbar "was once written off as lost, now it's one of the safest places in Iraq," Bush said.

He told the troops that "every day of your success" brought them nearer to coming home.

Bush said the quashing of al-Qaeda extremists in Anbar had deprived the terrorists of a foothold from which to plot future attacks on the Untied States.

"What happens in Anbar matters to the security of the United States," he said.