Bush Feigned Optimism on Iraq to 'Keep Up Troop Morale'

Bush Says Petraeus' Timeline for Troop Drawdown 'Not Open-Ended'. President Also Says He Will Attend Olympics to Support Athletes

President Bush today dialed back on what appeared to be an open-ended time frame for Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of multinational forces in Iraq, to assess troop needs once the surge is complete at the end of July.

"Sometimes people read what they want to in the president's words," Bush said in an exclusive interview with ABC's senior White House correspondent Martha Raddatz. "My statement was, in essence, this: If Gen. Petraeus needs 45 days, he'll have 45 days."

"So you're not saying it would be just 45 days, or will it go beyond 45 days. You just don't know," Raddatz asked the president outside his office at his Crawford, Texas, ranch.

"I don't know," Bush replied. "But on the other hand, I did say that my hope is that conditions will enable us to continue return on success."

Bush conceded earlier that before the surge began last year, he was pessimistic about the way the war in Iraq was going.

"How worried were you?" Raddatz asked.

"I was worried. Look, I'm worried any time it looks like we're going to fail in Iraq," Bush said.
You will fail 'Mr Donkey Bush'


US Diplomats in Iraq to Begin Moving Into New Baghdad Embassy in May.
U.S. diplomats will begin moving into the mammoth new, heavily fortified embassy in Baghdad next month after long delays in the $736 million project — and not a moment too soon. Increasing rocket attacks on the Green Zone have killed four Americans in recent weeks and have embassy staff wearing body armor and ducking for cover.
US envoy to Iraq says new embassy ready

In Najaf, unknown gunmen assassinated a senior aide to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. This may further unravel a now-tenuous ceasefire imposed by al-Sadr on his followers. At least 60 people were killed and another 62 were wounded in violence across the country. No Coalition troops were reported killed.
Friday: 60 Iraqis Killed, 62 Wounded; Sadr Aide AssassinatedAP photographer: 2 years in detention

AP Photographer Starts Third Year in US Custody With Calls for Release After Amnesty Ruling