Bush optimistic in Iraq

President Bush yesterday made a surprise visit to Iraq and boldly asserted that security advances made possible by the “surge” he ordered in January could soon allow the U.S. to begin withdrawing troops.

The president swooped into al-Asad air base, 120 miles west of Baghdad in Anbar province, and met with Iraqi leaders and with Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for a final review of the war before the latter two testify next week to Congress on the effectiveness of the troop surge.

“General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker tell me if the kind of success we are seeing continues, it will be possible to maintain the same level of security with fewer American forces,” said Mr. Bush, who will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Sydney, Australia, later this week.

By traveling to Anbar for the eight-hour visit instead of to Baghdad and meeting with officials of the Iraqi central government and local Sunni tribal and provincial leaders, the president threw a spotlight on the area where U.S. forces have had dramatic successes. One year ago, Anbar was dominated by al Qaeda, but local Sunni leaders turned against the terror group and teamed up with U.S. troops, leading to rapid increases in security.

“I had been told last summer that saving Anbar … was impossible,” Mr. Bush said. “But the citizens of Anbar refused to give in. They rejected the dark vision of al Qaeda. So they organized themselves, they took on the terrorists, and they asked for our support.”

Anbar “was once written off as lost. It is now one of the safest places in Iraq,” he said.

The president’s trip came just as Congress returns from a monthlong vacation, with Democrats intent on forcing the Bush administration to change tactics in Iraq. Acknowledging that his comment about troop reductions may have stolen some thunder from Democrats, the president told reporters on Air Force One after he left Iraq: “Maybe I was intending to do that.”

Although he generally deplores hypothetical questions from reporters, the president yesterday allowed himself to indulge in a “what if?” scenario.

“Now the situation has changed where I’m able to speculate on the hypothetical,” he said.

Still, while speaking to U.S. troops at al-Asad, Mr. Bush warned Congress against premature moves, saying troop levels “will be based on a calm assessment by our military commanders on the conditions on the ground — not a nervous reaction by Washington politicians to poll results in the media.”

“I urge members of both parties in Congress to listen to what they have to say,” he said. “We shouldn’t jump to conclusions until the general and the ambassador report.”

“In other words,” Mr. Bush said, “when we begin to draw down troops from Iraq, it will be from a position of strength and success, not from a position of fear and failure.”

Although Gen. Petraeus and Mr. Crocker will deliver their official assessment next week, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said it will still take several months to assess whether security improvements across Iraq are sufficient to enable U.S. forces to begin withdrawing.

Mr. Bush yesterday met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi’ite, whom he had recently upbraided for making slow political progress on key issues. The Iraqi parliament has yet to pass legislation on key issues such as oil-revenue sharing, a reworking of the constitution and provincial elections.

Still, Mr. Bush — who also met yesterday with President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni — was emphatic yesterday that Mr. al-Maliki is making progress and must have continued U.S. support.

“My message to Maliki is: ’You’ve got a lot of work to do, and whatever decision is made in Washington, D.C., is all aimed at helping you achieve what is necessary to get the work done,’ ” he said.

However, he firmly stated, “America does not abandon our friends, and America will not abandon the Iraqi people.”

The Bush administration says Anbar can serve as a model for the rest of Iraq and prod along the Iraqi government in Baghdad. Mr. Bush said he talked with Iraq’s top three leaders about “working to ensure that the military success in places like Anbar is quickly backed up by real improvements in the lives of ordinary Iraqis.”

Mr. Bush’s previous trips to Iraq also were surprise visits. He made his first trip Thanksgiving Day 2003 amid higher secrecy than his current visit.

His second trip was a little more than a year ago, last June, when he visited Mr. al-Maliki after the newly elected prime minister had finished filling his Cabinet positions.

The president departed the White House just after dark Sunday night, unbeknownst to all but his most senior staff and a handful of reporters. Mr. Bush rode in a car to Andrews Air Force Base with only one other vehicle as an escort.

The handful of reporters who accompanied the president were summoned to the White House over the weekend so they could be told in person and were instructed to tell only their spouse and one editor and were told not to communicate by cellular phone.

c Joseph Curl reported from Sydney, Australia, and Jon Ward from Washington.