Bush Calls for Larger Military
    MSNBC News

    Wednesday 20 December 2006

President discusses Iraq war, a day after telling paper US is "not winning."

    Washington - President Bush on Wednesday called for an increase in the size of the U.S. Army and Marines in Iraq, as well as a new strategy to meet "changing realities" on the ground.

    "I'm inclined to believe that we need to increase the permanent size of both the United States Army and the United States Marines," Bush said at a news conference.

    "It's going to take a while for the ideology of liberty to triumph over the ideology of hate."

    The statements come a day after he told a newspaper that the United States is not winning the war in Iraq and that he wants to increase troop strength in Iraq and in the long-term fight against terrorism.

    Summing up a year of setbacks, Bush said that insurgents in Iraq thwarted U.S. efforts at "establishing security and stability throughout the country" in 2006.

    Bush also said he has asked newly installed Defense Secretary Robert Gates to report to him as quickly as possible on plans to enlarge the size of the Army and Marine Corps.

    With Gates visiting Baghdad in search of a new strategy and Americans' mounting dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq, Bush appeared to markedly change his assessment of the situation in an interview Tuesday with The Washington Post.

    "We're not winning, we're not losing," he told the newspaper.

    Shortly before the November elections, Bush had declared, "Absolutely, we're winning."

    Asking More of Iraqis

    At a year-end news conference, Bush said the United States will "ask more of our Iraqi partners" in 2007, and he pledged to work with the new Democratic Congress, as well.

    Bush sidestepped one question - whether he would order a so-called surge of troops in Iraq as a first-step toward gaining control of the violent and chaotic situation there. "Nice try," he told a reporter who asked about his plans.

    The Baker-Hamilton Commission recommended a quick buildup of troops as part of an overall plan to arrest what it called a "grave and deteriorating" situation in Iraq.

    Bush also said the United States supports the creation of a unity government in Iraq.

    "The Enemies of Liberty"

    The president opened the question-and-answer session by conceding the obvious - things haven't gone well in Iraq, where the United States has lost more than 2,900 troops in almost four years of war, without quelling the insurgency.

    "The enemies of liberty ... carried out a deliberate strategy to foment sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shia. And over the course of the year they had success," he said.

    "Their success hurt our efforts to help the Iraqis rebuild their country. They set back reconciliation and kept Iraq's unity government and our coalition from establishing security and stability throughout the country."

    Bush Addresses Minimum Wage

    In domestic issues, Bush said that he supports a Democratic proposal to increase the U.S. minimum wage but said it should be coupled with tax and regulatory relief for small businesses.

    "I believe we should do it in a way that does not punish the millions of small businesses that are creating most of the new jobs in our country," Bush told a news conference. "So, I support pairing it with targeted tax and regulatory relief to help these small businesses stay competitive and to help keep our economy growing."

    Democrats, who took control of Congress in November elections, have said they will push to raise the minimum wage over two years to $7.25 per hour from $5.15 per hour.

    This is Bush's 30th solo news conference and the 18th of his second term. The last was Nov. 8, when he announced the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld.