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Bush to unveil new Iraq strategy document
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-30 20:36
Sixty-two percent of Americans, in an AP-Ipsos poll taken in November, said they disapproved of Bush's Iraq policy. Thirty-seven percent approved of his policy — down from 43 percent in May. The president's overall job approval rating is at 37 percent, the lowest level of his presidency.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., said Tuesday that the president should have proposed a plan months ago that includes a flexible timetable, tied to clear benchmarks, for concluding the U.S. military mission in Iraq.
"The American people deserve a clear plan for concluding our military mission," said Feingold, who is weighing a bid for the 2008 presidential nomination. "And the Iraqi people need to know without any doubt that we do not intend to stay in that country indefinitely."
The White House report says victory in Iraq will take time.
"It is not realistic to expect a fully functioning democracy, able to defeat its enemies and peacefully reconcile generational grievances, to be in place less than three years after Saddam (Hussein) was finally removed from power," the report said.
Bush said Tuesday that he would decide on troop withdrawals based on the capacity of the Iraqis to take the fight to the enemy and recommendations from commanders on the ground.
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