Mullen: Time for Iraqi leaders to step up

[unhappycamper]

Mullen: Time for Iraqi leaders to step up
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 27, 2007 19:08:30 EST

With the U.S. military presence in Iraq now slowly beginning to shrink, the time has come for Iraqi leaders to take advantage of the security improvements wrought by this year’s U.S. troop surge to pass key legislation needed to unify the country, America’s top military officer said today.

“I think the Iraqi leaders need to seize the moment,” said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a meeting with Military Times editors and reporters in Springfield, Va.

Iraqi political leaders need to realize “that this window of opportunity — I’ve had this discussion, actually, with the leadership there — is finite, and that they need to take advantage of it,” Mullen said.

President Bush in September announced plans to bring 5,700 troops home by Christmas, and a total of 21,500 troops — all together, roughly equivalent to the number of additional troops sent to Iraq this year — by July.

Bush’s top commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David Petraeus, said additional force reductions “will continue” beyond that point, but added that he won’t make any further recommendations until about mid-March.

Bush said his plans are contingent on continued improvements in Iraq. “The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home,” he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/military_mulleniraq_071127w/

[MADem]

1. Jesus, Mike, about TIME you piped up on this! I am glad he did, though! nt