Fact-Checking the President

Tyler Marshall and Mark Mazzetti, writing in the Los Angeles Times, read a lot in to the speech that I didn't see, but they may be right:

"Much of the rhetoric was familiar. But in his U.S. Naval Academy speech Wednesday, President Bush seemed to accept the hard realities both on the ground in Iraq and politically in the United States by pledging a smaller American force.

"After months of a lingering disconnect between the White House and senior military commanders, Bush's comments at the academy in Annapolis, Md., seemed to bring him into line not just with America's military but with much of his administration.

"Repeatedly, military commanders have made the case that only a drawdown of U.S. troops would make Iraqi forces take control of their nation's security.

"On Wednesday, Bush finally seemed to buy into the argument. The revised mission would reduce the exposure of U.S. troops to enemy attack and the potential for U.S. casualties."

Or Maybe Not

Doug Struck writes in The Washington Post from Baghdad: "Through the smoke of car bombs on the streets of Baghdad, Ali Kathem has trouble seeing the progress that President Bush described Wednesday in a speech in Annapolis. . . .

"Bush, in his speech at the U.S. Naval Academy, spoke of progress toward independence, of land restored to Iraqi control, of gains in stability and democracy, and of the 'skill and courage' of newly trained Iraqi security forces.

"But on the streets of Baghdad, such optimistic rhetoric contrasts sharply with the thunder of suicide bombs, the scream of ambulance sirens, the roar of racing police cars bearing men with masks and machine guns, and the grim daily reports of assassinations, murders and hostage-taking."

The Analyses

Peter Baker writes in The Washington Post: "Thirty-two months after U.S. forces invaded Iraq, President Bush's advisers concluded that his message of 'stay the course' has been translated by a weary American public as 'stay forever.' And so yesterday the president tried to reassure the nation that he has a comprehensive vision for beating the insurgency and eventually bringing U.S. troops home.

"The message was hardly subtle as the White House posted a 35-page 'National Strategy for Victory in Iraq' on its Web site and hung dozens of 'Plan for Victory' signs behind Bush as he addressed midshipmen in Annapolis. But it was intended to reshape the argument against critics who have been gaining traction with congressional calls to withdraw troops immediately or at least set a timetable for pulling out. . . .

"But broadly Bush gave no ground to critics who want a major course change, and the plan he released yesterday offered nothing new substantively. Short of changing conditions on the ground, Bush faces enormous challenges in turning around public attitudes on the war. The American people have grown increasingly sour on Iraq in public polls, and most no longer approve of the way the president is handling the war."

Judy Keen and Richard Benedetto write in USA Today: "The backdrop for President Bush's speech on Iraq on Wednesday was designed to send a message to critics who say he has no strategy for winning the war: dozens of placards reading 'Plan for Victory' were arrayed behind him.