Bush Looking to Revamp Iraq Strategy

June 12, 2006 — -- With Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraq's most-wanted terrorist, finally dead, President Bush is gathering with his top advisers, military leaders and other experts today to plan the road ahead for the war-torn nation.

The two-day summit at Camp David will seek a new -- or at least improved -- strategy to secure Iraq.

"What I hope will happen in the meetings in the next 48 hours in Camp David is we need to design an effective military strategy to defeat the insurgency," L. Paul Bremer, the administration's former top man in Iraq, said on ABC News' "This Week."

Bush and his advisers will assess the available U.S. resources -- from money to expert volunteers to equipment and troops -- and focus on issues such as training Iraqi troops.

"The most important immediate issue is how to deal with the development of [the] Iraqi force," said Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Joining Bush at the meeting will be Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and other senior advisers. The top U.S. generals in Iraq and representatives of the new Iraqi government will participate in the meeting from Baghdad.

On Tuesday, Bush will hold an hourlong videoconference with Iraq President Nouri Kamel al-Maliki's newly formed government.

Supporters and critics of Bush's Iraq policy praised the idea of the summit.

"It's about time for the president to call in the folks and say what is it that we can do to get this right," said Gary Schmitt, the director of strategic studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

"I don't think you have these kinds of summits unless you're ready to make some big decisions," Schmitt said.

Rep. John Murtha, D-Penn., a Marine veteran who has been an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, said it was "a perfect time" for Bush to reevaluate his Iraq strategy.

He said that American troops should be able to leave the country soon if they could continue to train Iraqi forces. Murtha cited the killing of al-Zarqawi as an example of how American and Iraqi forces can act together.