Administration refuses to give timetable for withdrawal from Iraq

[Sauron]

Except when it's an election season and the GOP is in trouble.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...102400171.html

U.S. Officials: Iraqi Security Could be Ready in 12-18 Months

Ambassador Says Iraqi Political Leaders 'Must Step Up'

By Debbi Wilgoren and Howard Schneider
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, October 24, 2006; 2:30 PM

Top U.S. officials in Iraq today predicted that Iraqi security forces could be largely self-sufficient within 12 to 18 months and said the Iraqi government is building a timetable for disarming militias, quieting insurgents and solving ongoing struggles for economic and political power.

Acknowledging that weeks of escalating bloodshed have had a demoralizing effect on American perceptions of the conflict, Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad spoke bluntly about the growing civil strife in and around Baghdad and the challenges it poses. Casey, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, said it was possible that the number of U.S. troops there would need to grow in coming months, before Iraqi security forces can begin to take control.