Abizaid: All Options for Iraq Are on the Table

Dec. 20, 2006 — -- Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, plans to retire in early March -- possibly setting the stage for President Bush and newly minted Defense Secretary Robert Gates to apply a new military strategy in Iraq.

An early architect of the Iraq War, Abizaid was one of the few senior military officials fluent in Arabic, and he quickly earned a reputation for candor when it came to evaluating the situation there.

During a press conference today in Baghdad, Abizaid said "all options are on the table," including a possible troop surge in Iraq, though he has long opposed the idea of deploying more U.S. troops and instead prefers building the Iraqi forces.

Abizaid in His Own Words

When he testified before Congress in August alongside chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace, Abizaid warned about the looming danger of a civil war in Iraq. The testimony of the two generals was frank, and it was the military's most severe appraisal of conditions in Iraq since the onset of the war.

"The sectarian violence is probably as bad as I've seen it," Abizaid told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "If not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move toward civil war."

Testifying before the Armed Services Committee again in mid November, Abizaid said, "The prudent course ahead is to keep the troop levels about where they are, increase the number of forces that are with Iraqi security forces to make them better, more confident."

When asked by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., during the press conference whether more American troops were needed then to quell the violence, Abizaid replied, "No, I do not believe that more American troops right now is the solution to the problem."

Maintaining Troop Levels

Abizaid's testimony in November with regard to troop increases voiced the collective sentiment of military brass in Iraq; Abizaid told Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that he had met with every divisional commander, Gen. William Casey, the core commander, and Gen. Robert Dempsey before making his recommendation about maintaining troop levels..

"And I said, 'In your professional opinion, if we were to bring in more American troops now, does it add to our ability to achieve success in Iraq?'" Abizaid said. "And they all said no. And the reason is, because we want the Iraqis to do more."

"I believe that more American forces prevent the Iraqis from doing more, from taking more responsibility for their own future," Abizaid said.

Yet increasing troop strengths is reportedly just the change in policy that the Bush administration is currently considering.

The President's Press Conference

In his White House press conference this morning the president, who has been facing enormous pressure to revise his Iraq policy since the midterm election and after the release of the Iraq Study Group's report, said he hadn't yet made a decision on a troop surge in Iraq.

"There's got to be a specific mission that can be accomplished with the addition of more troops before, you know, I agree on that strategy," he said.

Although Abizaid has served longer than any of his predecessors, he had planned to stay on a bit longer than the early March date reported this week, military officials told ABC News.

Before Abizaid submitted his resignation, he had been expected to remain Centcom commander until next summer.

Military officials say the possible replacements for Abizaid include Navy Adm. William "Fox" Fallon, Air Force Gen. Michael "Buzz" Moseley and Army Gen. David Petraeus.

ABC News' Jonathan Karl contributed to this report