Bush: Tactics in Iraq May Change but Not Goal

By Caren Bohan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush said Saturday he would make "every necessary change" in tactics to respond to spiraling violence in Iraq, and he acknowledged a drive to stabilize Baghdad had not gone as planned.

But he said he would not abandon his goal of building a self-sustaining Iraqi government.

"Attacks have grown significantly during the first weeks of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "The last few weeks have been rough for our troops in Iraq and for the Iraqi people."

In an election year when discontent with the Iraq war may cost Bush's Republican allies control of the U.S. Congress, pressure is growing from lawmakers from both parties for a major shift in strategy in Iraq.

While insisting he is always open to adjustments in tactics, Bush has denounced Democrats calling for a course correction as supporting a "doubt and defeat" approach.

In his radio address, Bush quoted U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, who said earlier this week that a 2-month-old campaign to crack down on violence in the Iraqi capital through mass troop reinforcement "has not met our overall expectations."

He said the military always reassesses the way it conducts the war. "And we will continue to be flexible, and make every necessary change to prevail in this struggle," he said.

But Bush added, "Our goal in Iraq is clear and unchanging: Our goal is victory. What is changing are the tactics we use to achieve that goal."

More than 2,700 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. At least 73 U.S. troops have been killed in October alone, a pace that -- if it continues -- will make it one of the deadliest months for U.S. forces.

Longtime Bush family friend and former Secretary of State James Baker is leading a panel that is preparing recommendations for alternative strategies in Iraq.

But the Iraq Study Group's report will not be issued until after the Nov. 7 elections.

Bush planned a videoconference Saturday involving Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, top White House officials and U.S. military officials in Iraq.

Gen. John Abizaid, who oversees the Iraq war as head of the U.S. Central Command, met with Bush on Friday and was to be a key presenter at the videoconference.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, en route to Moscow, said people should not over-interpret the meeting.

"I would not read into this somehow that there is a full-scale push for a major reevaluation (of Iraq strategy)," she said.

REUTERS Reut07:55 10-21-06