White House Press Corps.org: Press Briefing by Tony Snow 10/13/06 (Topic: Iraq)

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Press Briefing by Tony Snow 10/13/06 (Topic: Iraq)
— Saturday, October 14, 2006 —

Q As long as we're on Iraq -- one of the things the President keeps saying is that he depends on General Casey and his commanders. And yet it's a political solution, the commanders will say it's a political solution. Why in the world is he saying it's up to the military commanders to formulate a political solution?

MR. SNOW: No, no. What he's talking about is the military commanders in terms of their ability to work on the security issues that are going to make it possible --

Q He's talking about strategy, he's not just talking about security. He's asked consistently about strategy in Iraq, and he keeps throwing it back to General Casey.

MR. SNOW: Well, when you're talking about -- what you're -- let's try to separate. On the political front, Prime Minister Maliki is pursuing a whole series of initiatives that have everything to do with economic development to reconciliation. Those are within his ambit. Now, General Casey is not telling him how to pursue reconciliation.

General Casey is there to work on security issues, trying to figure out how do you go into the tough areas of Baghdad, how do you try to stabilize them; how do you try at the same time to be training up Iraqi military; how do you try to professionalize the Iraqi police forces. Those are the kinds of activities on which General Casey provides advice. But he is not telling the Prime Minister the strategies he ought to pursue, because that's the Prime Minister's job.

Q I understand that, but consistently the President is asked about the strategy for victory in Iraq, and he keeps throwing it to the military.

MR. SNOW: Yes, but when you're talking about strategy -- oh, I see what you're -- the strategy involves having the military in security conditions such that the United States and the allies can withdraw. And Iraq will have the security it needs. General Casey -- again, let me just reiterate -- is not telling Prime Minister Maliki, or advising him on reconciliation strategy or reconstruction or that sort of thing.

What you do have are other venues. For instance, you've got -- the Iraqis now have been reaching out to the rest of the world in terms of development. That is something that we announced when we were in Baghdad earlier this year. And so there are any number of areas in which the Iraqis are going to get help from abroad. But, again, when the President is talking about the military and security strategy with General Casey, as you'd expect him to do.

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