Inside Bush's Surge

White House Response

Here's White House press secretary Dana Perino at yesterday's briefing: "I think that the surge is no doubt one of the most important foreign policy and military decisions that have been made in a generation. And it was fundamental to the change that we have seen today in Iraq. We are working now to cement those gains and to be able to continue to watch Iraq evolve into a country that can sustain, govern and defend itself. . . .

"I think that when it comes to this book, I don't necessarily think that the conclusions are supported by a lot of the facts in the book. The surge was not just about sending 30,000 troops; it was a fundamental change in the way that we were working to secure the population, for example. And sometimes in Washington when you can't attack the results of something you attack a process.

"I would submit to you that President Bush initiated and oversaw a very comprehensive, thorough, well-managed process that in some cases and some people might say that it was too slow in its development. But when you are making a decision where you are asking young men and women to put their lives on the line, that it was the right type of assessment. It was sober; it was very clear-eyed; it was brutal in terms of the amount of hours.

"And I also take issue with the notion about a war within. I can't imagine that anybody in Washington would be shocked that if you bring people together to talk about one of the most difficult problems in our time, that they might have a disagreement over what is the best option. And in fact, we should all want that to happen."

Here's Bush talking to Brian Kilmeade of Fox News on Sunday: "Without the surge, those [good] things wouldn't have happened. . . . As a result of the surge, people have more confidence that the United States is going to stand with them, and, when you have more confidence, it enables you to do -- it makes stronger actions, for example, the people showing up in the Sunni land to reject al Qaeda."

Bush's Speech

Ben Feller writes for the Associated Press: "President Bush announced Tuesday that he will keep the U.S. force strength in Iraq largely intact until the next president takes over, drawing rebukes from Democrats who want the war ended and a bigger boost of troops in troubled Afghanistan.

"The president said he will pull home about 8,000 combat and support troops by February -- a drawdown not as strong or swift as long anticipated."

Dan Eggen writes in The Washington Post: "At the same time, Bush will preside over further increases in the number of U.S. troops fighting the resurgent Taliban militia in Afghanistan, including a fresh Marine battalion in November and an additional Army brigade in January.

"The new plans are likely to represent Bush's last major decision on the deployment of U.S. troops in the two wars that have come to define his presidency. The plans also mean that either Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) or Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will have to cope with decisions on wartime troop levels immediately after taking office Jan. 20."

Thom Shanker writes in the New York Times: "After other support and logistics units are withdrawn under the new orders, the American troop levels in Iraq would drop to about 138,000 by March, still several thousand more than were there in January 2007, when Mr. Bush announced the 'surge' that brought the total over 160,000.

Afghanistan Watch

James Gerstenzang writes in the Los Angeles Times: "Amid rising anger over civilian deaths in Afghanistan, President Bush says he is sending more forces to fight there, but cautions 'there will be times' when U.S. strikes result in the loss of innocent life. . . .

"Tension over civilian casualties in Afghanistan flared after an Aug. 22 U.S. strike in the western province of Herat in which Afghan and United Nations officials said 90 civilians died. U.S. military officials had concluded that 35 militants and up to seven civilians were killed.

"However, the military is sending a senior officer to review new evidence after videos surfaced showing dead children and grieving Afghans. . . .

"Bush is addressing the issue in the face of growing criticism, including from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, a close ally.

"'Regrettably, there will be times when our pursuit of the enemy will result in accidental civilian deaths,' Bush says in his prepared speech, without mentioning the Aug. 22 strike. 'This has been the case throughout the history of warfare, yet our nation mourns every innocent life lost.'

Candace Rondeaux and Karen DeYoung write in The Washington Post: "The U.S. decision to again probe the Aug. 21 attack in Azizabad, near the western city of Herat, came at the urging of Gen. David D. McKiernan, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan. McKiernan said he was prompted by 'emerging evidence' that threw into question the finding of a U.S. investigation that five to seven civilians died. McKiernan had earlier said he concurred with that finding....

"Military officials said the new evidence included a cellphone video showing dozens of civilian bodies, including those of numerous children, prepared for burial in Azizabad after the attack. McKiernan was shown the video Friday by Kai Eide, the chief U.N. representative in Afghanistan."

Tom Coghlan writes in the Times of London: "The Pentagon's original investigation concluded last week that US forces used close air support after coming under heavy fire during a mission to seize a Taleban commander named Mullah Sadiq. They allege that he died in the operation.

"The US military said that its findings were corroborated by an independent journalist embedded with the US force. He was named as the Fox News correspondent Oliver North, who came to prominence in the 1980s Iran-Contra affair, when he was an army colonel."

Bush and Cheney on Palin

Michael Abramowitz writes in The Washington Post: "President Bush and Vice President Cheney praised Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in separate interviews. . . .

"'I find her to be a very dynamic, capable, smart woman who, you know, it really says that John McCain made an inspired pick, to me,' Bush said in an interview to be aired Tuesday morning on 'Fox and Friends.'

"'She's had executive experience, and that's what it takes to be a capable person here in Washington, D.C., in the executive branch,' Bush said in excerpts released by Fox."

And here's what Cheney told pool reporters in Rome, according to Steven Lee Myers of the New York Times: "We've had all kinds of vice presidents over the years. Everybody brings a different set of experiences to the office and also a different kind of understanding with whoever the president is. . . .

"Each administration is different. And there's no reason why Sarah Palin can't be a successful vice president in a McCain administration. It won't look exactly like the Bush administration or the first Bush administration, the Ford administration. It'll be relatively unique to this president and this time that they're in office.

"I thought her appearance at the convention was superb. Watched that with great interest. I loved some of her lines. What was the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? It's lipstick," he said, laughing. "I think she's a good candidate and I don't see any reason why she can't be an effective vice president."

Public Records Watch

Christopher Lee writes in The Washington Post: "Months before the Bush administration ends, historians and open-government advocates are concerned that Vice President Cheney, who has long bristled at requirements to disclose his records, will destroy or withhold key documents that illustrate his role in forming U.S. policy for the past 7 1/2 years.

"In a preemptive move, several of them have agreed to join the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in asking a federal judge to declare that Cheney's records are covered by the Presidential Records Act of 1978 and cannot be destroyed, taken or withheld without proper review. . . .

"The goal, proponents say, is to protect a treasure trove of information about national security, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, domestic wiretapping, energy policy, and other major issues that could be hidden from the public if Cheney adheres to his view that he is not part of the executive branch. Extending the argument, scholars say, Cheney could assert that he is not required to make his papers public after leaving office. Access to the documents is crucial because he is widely considered to be the most influential vice president in U.S. history, they note."

Pete Yost writes for the Associated Press: "A spokesman for Cheney, Jamie Hennigan, said the office of the vice president follows the Presidential Records Act and will continue to follow the requirements of the law. He said that includes turning over vice presidential records to the National Archives at the end of the term. . . .

"Separately, 32 historians wrote congressional leaders saying that the Presidential Records Act should be strengthened to include some kind of enforcement mechanism for violations. The historians cited the White House e-mail controversy involving millions of apparently missing emails."

Karl Rove Watch

Jackie Kucinich and Bob Cusack write in The Hill: "Eight years after helping George Bush defeat John McCain in a bitter primary, Karl Rove appears to be playing a significant role in helping the Arizona Republican win the presidency. . . .

"A GOP operative said Rove has had a consistent, 'medium'-sized role with the McCain campaign."

Campaign Watch

Satyam Khanna reports for Thinkprogress.org: "Interviewed by Bloomberg's Al Hunt this weekend, Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) campaign manager Rick Davis said McCain would no longer campaign with President Bush."

Hunt: "Do you expect to campaign with President Bush this fall?"

Davis: "No. Again. We've turned that page. I mean, that page is gone."

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Cartoon Watch

Jeff Danziger on the Bush-McCain hypnotism, Mike Luckovich on a strange definition of change, Stuart Carlson on McCain's opponent, Dwane Powell on McCain's best friend, David Horsey on Bush's Mini-Me, Bob Englehart on blaming the media, Nate Beeler on the sound of the economy, and Tom Toles on Cheney's lair