From The Australian, January 11, 2007, by Mark Dodd ...
US President George W. Bush, poised to order more US troops to Iraq, warned today that reducing US efforts now would lead to the collapse of the Iraqi government and a longer, deadlier war.
“(To) step back now would force a collapse of the Iraqi government,” Bush said in excerpts of his speech released by the White House before he was to deliver it at 9:00 pm in Washington (12.00 AEST). “Such a scenario would result in our troops being forced to stay in Iraq even longer, and confront an enemy that is even more lethal. If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home,” he said.
Bush said today he will send 21,500 additional US forces to Iraq to break the cycle of violence and “hasten the day our troops begin coming home”. The decision will push the American presence in Iraq toward its highest level and put Bush on a collision course with the new Democratic Congress. ...
Mr Bush also bluntly warned the Iraqi government it risks “losing the support of the American people” if it fails to do more to quell violence. “I have made it clear to the prime minister and Iraq's other leaders that America's commitment is not open-ended,” he said. “If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people - and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people. Now is the time to act. The prime minister understands this,” Mr Bush said. Iraq will take control of its own security in November under Mr Bush's plan to end the violence in the war-torn nation.
....Despite the troop increase, which will bring the total US deployment in the country to 150,000, Mr Bush did not ask John Howard to commit more Australian troops when he spoke to the Prime Minister early yesterday to brief him on his plans.
...Acting Prime Minister Mark Vaile told Sydney radio that there had been no request from the US to increase Australia's troops. Mr Bush, who will outline his new Iraqi strategy in a televised address at 1pm (AEST) today, has faced escalating pressure over Iraq. Public opinion is turning against the war, which has taken 3000 US lives since the March 2003 US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.
....Mr Bush's speech comes after he rebuffed two key recommendations from the Iraq Study Group led by former US secretary of state James Baker - pull out most US combat forces by 2008 and open direct talks with Syria and Iran.
On the eve of Mr Bush's televised address, Democratic senator Edward Kennedy tabled a bill that might deny the President the billions of dollars needed to send more troops to a war he described as "George Bush's Vietnam". Senator Kennedy said his bill would ensure "no additional troops can be sent or no additional dollars can be spent on such an escalation" without the approval of Congress....Although the bill is unlikely to become law, it will serve as a rallying point for Democrats and an increasing number of Republicans who oppose any escalation in the war.....
Additional reporting: The Times, AFP
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