Bush's withdrawal decision is, therefore, a late, grudging and small concession to a series of unpleasant realities he has refused to admit for too long. It certainly is not a fundamental reassessment of U.S. policy in Iraq, though it makes such a reassessment inevitable. As with his belated but radical move to turn the two mortgage-lending giants of the United States virtually into public utilities, Bush will leave his successor to try to make sense of the conflicting and chaotic policies he leaves behind him.
The troop withdrawal will not happen quickly if the president's plan is implemented. That means the next president will be left to decide whether the pace of withdrawal should hasten.
A Marine battalion of about 1,000 will come home in November, the president said, but not until February 2009 -- after he has left office -- will more forces start withdrawing: An Army brigade of about 4,000 will leave then, along with about 3,400 combat support forces - military police, construction engineers and the like.
Barack Obama is proposing the withdrawal of two brigades per month, subject to existing circumstances. John McCain, on the other hand, wants nothing short of victory, whatever that might mean. Meanwhile, the number of American military members who have died in Iraq has increased to 4,155.
