Bush Makes Point Petraeus Won’t

ABC News’ Lindsay Hamilton reports: In his weekly radio address, President Bush again touted progress in Iraq and reiterated his plan to bring home 5,700 troops by Christmas and a full five brigades by next July.

"I have accepted General Petraeus’s recommendations, and I have directed that he and Ambassador Crocker deliver another report to Congress in March," Bush said.

As he did in his address to the nation on Thursday night, the president explained his decisions on troop levels are being driven by "return on success."

"The more successful we are, the more troops can return home," Bush said.

When testifying before Congress this week, General David Petraeus said he did not know if achieving the military’s objectives in Iraq made America safer, but the president concluded his radio address on the point his general wouldn’t make.

"If Iraq’s young democracy can turn back its enemies, it will mean a more hopeful Middle East — and a more secure America," he said.