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Bush Doubts Surge Success

Privately, Bush seeks to lower expectations on the surge—and the prime minister

By J. Kelman,  Newser User

Posted Apr 28, 2007 12:51 PM CDT
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(Newser) – The Bush administration is quietly rijiggering its internal expectations for Iraq, senior administration officials have told the New York Times. In spite of a publicly optimistic stance, Bush is already preparing for the possible failure of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's regime and readying to maintain a troop surge well into 2008.

The administration expects its planned September evaluation of the troop surge to reveal limited gains, if any. Perhaps a bigger problem is Maliki, whose slow movement on political reconciliation is a time bomb for the White House. Yet Bush's public poker face is set: “He knows that it doesn’t pay to say what you expect Maliki to get done,” says one Republican.

President Bush, right, and first lady Laura Bush greet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie, not seen, at the Blair House, across the street from the White House in Washington, Thursday, April 26, 2007. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
President Bush, right, and first lady Laura Bush greet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie, not seen, at the Blair House, across the street from the White House in Washington, Thursday,...   (Associated Press)
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki speaks to the media after meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa at the Arab League headquarters in downtown Cairo, Egypt Sunday, April 22, 2007. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived in Egypt Sunday at the start of a four-nation Arab tour aimed at winning...
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki speaks to the media after meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa at the Arab League headquarters in downtown Cairo, Egypt Sunday, April 22, 2007. Iraqi...   (Associated Press)
President Bush, right, winks during a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Friday, April 27, 2007, at Camp David, Md. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
President Bush, right, winks during a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Friday, April 27, 2007, at Camp David, Md. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)   (Associated Press)
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Iraq • Bush administration • troop surge • Nouri al-Maliki • war • George W. Bush

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