Dec 7 2009
This timeline (reverse chronological order) shows key Bush Administration strategies in Iraq.
Poll: Does Bush Have A Coherent Policy On Iraq?
2007
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September 2007 - Bush pledges to withdraw 30,000 by summer 2008, thus effectively ending the "surge" and leaving about 170,000 American troops in Iraq. See
Speech Text, GAO Report On Iraq: Gloomy,
Withdrawal From Iraq Could Take Two Years
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January 2007 - Bush ignores recommendations of
Iraq Study Group and
pledges troop escalation.
See Bush Move Contrary To Iraq Study Group ... Bush Speech - 10 Jan 2007
2006
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October 2006 - July initiative deemed failure by US military.
See General Says Mission In Baghdad Falls Short:-
A two-month U.S.-Iraqi military operation to stem sectarian bloodshed and insurgent attacks in Baghdad has failed to reduce the violence, which has surged 22 percent in the capital in the last three weeks, much of it in areas where the military has focused its efforts, a senior U.S. military spokesman said Thursday.
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August 2006 - Bush redeploys 3,700 troops from Mosul to Baghdad.
See Stryker Unit in 'Defining Battle' of Iraq ... Four More Months In Iraq ... Iraq and Vietnam: The Tragedy of Unlearned Lessons
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June 2006 - Bush visits with new Iraq leaders; proposes an increase
in number of Iraqi security forces.
See Operation Together Forward - CenCom and Operation Together Forward - White House
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January 2006 - Bush says improving the Iraq police force is key to "complete victory"
See Radio Free Europe
2005
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December 2005 -
Bush Team Rethinks Its Plan for Recovery
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November 2005 - Bush's latest plan is called the "National Strategy
for Victory In Iraq"
On the last day of the month, the White House released a new, more complex set of strategies for achieving "victory" in Iraq. "Victory" is defined as follows:- Short term, Iraq is making steady progress in fighting terrorists, meeting political milestones, building democratic institutions, and standing up security forces.
- Medium term, Iraq is in the lead defeating terrorists and providing its own security, with a fully constitutional government in place, and on its way to achieving its economic potential.
- Longer term, Iraq is peaceful, united, stable, and secure, well integrated into the international community, and a full partner in the global war on terrorism.
2004
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May 2004 - Bush unveils a five-stage plan "to help Iraq achieve democracy and freedom," which includes forming
an Iraqi government.
See the speech transcript
2003
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April 2003 - Bush puts General Jay Gardner in charge of Iraq
reconstruction.
See Gardner bio from Wikipedia. Garner was replaced on 11 May 2003 by Paul Bremer, the managing director of [Henry] Kissinger and Associates.
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March 2003 - US invades Iraq
See Overview: War In Iraq