Bush rejects Iraq timetable

President George W. Bush on Friday forcefully rejected a timetable for withdrawing US troops from Iraq as his Republican Party assailed Democratic critics with an ad using the white flag of surrender.
"There are some who are arguing for a fixed timetable of withdrawal, I think it's a wrong policy," Bush said. "A fixed timetable of withdrawal would embolden the enemy, would confuse the Iraqis and would send the wrong signal to our young men and women in uniform."
In Minneapolis, Bush raised about $1 million for Rep. Mark Kennedy's bid for an open Minnesota seat in the US Senate next year. Despite his poor poll numbers, Bush plans to campaign actively next year for Republicans trying to maintain their grip on the US Congress.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy called Bush's appearance for Kennedy "proof positive that Republicans not only want the president to campaign on their behalf but are happy to welcome him to their states."
Trying to portray Democrats as the party of retreat from Iraq, the Republican National Committee released an Internet ad with white flags of surrender waving over images of Democratic Party chief Howard Dean and Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and Barbara Boxer of California.
As the advertisement ends, the back of an American soldier with a weapon slung over his shoulder can be seen watching television images of the Democrats and the screen reads: "Our Country Is At War. Our Soldiers Are Watching and Our Enemies Are Too. Message To Democrats: Retreat And Defeat Is Not an Option."
"We have got a strategy for victory and we will see that strategy through," Bush said.
Democrats in Congress and some Republicans have questioned the war's origins and progress. Public opinion polls show a majority of Americans souring on the 2003 invasion as the death toll among US troops passed 2,000 and the monthly cost rose to about $6 billion.
Democrats have offered a range of ideas on Iraq, from quick withdrawal of troops to a gradual drawdown to Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman's backing of Bush. Dean was attacked by Bush and Republicans earlier this week for telling a Texas radio station that "the idea we're going to win this war is an idea that unfortunately is plain wrong."
He said later the quote was taken out of context but added that Democrats were beginning to coalesce around a concept of strategic redeployment in Iraq. That plan would gradually phase out most US troops over the next two years, withdraw them from urban areas and bring home National Guard forces within six months.
Bush is on the offensive to reverse a months-long slide in public support for the war and counter critics who say he lacks a winning strategy in Iraq. On Monday in his third speech on Iraq ahead of next Thursday's elections, he will talk about the political track.
The president's approval rating crept up last month as Americans grew more positive about the economy, according to a New York Times/CBS News survey released on Wednesday. But a majority maintained lingering doubts about the war in Iraq.
The survey showed Bush's approval rating at 40 percent, up from 35 percent in October.
The White House has held out the possibility of a reduction in US force levels eventually, once Iraqis are able to fight the insurgency on their own and if progress is made on the political front looking ahead to Iraq's December 15 elections.
The Pentagon plans to shrink the American presence - now at 155,000 - to about 138,000 after the December 15 Iraqi elections and is considering dropping to about 100,000 aroundmid-2006 if conditions allow.