Bush Accepts Responsibility for Mistakes, Outlines the Way Forward

Jan. 10, 2007 — -- President Bush, addressing the nation with a strategy for a new way forward in Iraq, said he will send an additional 20,000 American troops to the region and outlined his plan for securing Baghdad against sectarian violence.

While he expressed confidence that this strategy ultimately will bring success in Iraq, the president warned that violence is likely to continue even if the strategy works "exactly as planned."

"This new strategy will not yield an immediate end to suicide bombings, assassinations, or IED attacks … [We] must expect more Iraqi and American casualties," Bush said. "The question is whether our new strategy will bring us closer to success. I believe that it will."

The president also accepted responsibility for mistakes in Iraq.

"The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people -- and it is unacceptable to me," he said. "Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me."

During his primetime speech from the White House library, Bush said he has made it clear to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Iraq's other leaders that the United States' commitment to the region is not open-ended.

He said the Iraqi government needs to follow through on its promises of benchmarks for success -- or else risk losing the support of the American and Iraqi peoples.

"Now is the time to act," he said.

Bush compared this speech to the one he gave roughly one year ago when the Iraqis went to the polls, a time when he said he thought the elections would bring Iraqis together. He also thought the increased numbers of trained Iraqi security forces would allow the United States to accomplish its mission with fewer troops.

Bush acknowledged tonight that since then the opposite occured.

"The violence in Iraq -- particularly in Baghdad -- overwhelmed the political gains the Iraqis had made. Al Qaeda terrorists and Sunni insurgents recognized the mortal danger that Iraq's elections posed for their cause," Bush said.

As Democrats and Republicans in Washington debate how to proceed in Iraq, Bush used tonight's speech to outline three key elements for a new strategy to include:

Assign Iraqi Army and National Police brigades across Baghdad's nine districts -- once fully deployed there will be 18 Iraqi Army and National Police brigades as part of this effort.