I thought this was the lead over largely meaningless troop reductions.
Mr. Bush called for an “enduring relationship” with Iraq that would keep American forces there “beyond my presidency,” arguing that a free and friendly Iraq was essential to the security of the region and the United States. He cast the war in Iraq as a vital part of a strategy in the Middle East to defeat Al Qaeda and counter Iran.
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Bush’s case for progress in Iraq, by the way, is contradicted by government reports and his own words.