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.

Support for the Summit

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.

"Even this attack on Zarqawi happened from the air," Murtha said. "There's no real need for us to be inside the country."

Murtha hoped the summit would lead to a timetable for the speedy withdrawal of U.S. forces -- something the White House has cautioned is not likely.

"People want a change in this country. This is what they've said for the last seven months. I hope the president hears that, and I hope the Iraqis ask us to leave."

He also called for Bush to "make a realistic assessment" of the progress made in areas such as oil and electricity production.

With Congress debating spending bills for the war this week, the summit will also try to demonstrate political progress in Iraq to shore up support on Capitol Hill.

Will Troop Reductions Follow?

The administration has said that large-scale troop reductions aren't on the agenda, but in recent days officials have raised the possibility of a gradual decline in the number of troops there.

"I think we're going to be able to see [a] continued, gradual reduction of coalition forces over the coming months and into next year," said Gen. George W. Casey Jr. on CBS News' "Face The Nation."

Even Iraqi officials say U.S. troops do not have much longer in Iraq.

Iraq experts such as Cordesman, however, said that large numbers of U.S. troops would still be required in Iraq for years to come, and that the White House should not raise expectations that American forces could return home soon.

"The best outcome -- what we can define as victory -- means we'll be there probably well into 2010."

ABC News' Claire Shipman contributed to this report.