Bush opens door to troop withdrawal

Speaking at a White House news conference, Bush for the first time adopted the blueprint outlined in December by the Iraq Study Group, saying he envisioned U.S. troops gradually moving out of their combat role and into support and training functions.

"You know, I would like to see us in a different configuration at some point in time in Iraq," Bush said, referring to the study group by the names of its co-chairmen, former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Rep. Lee H. Hamilton (D-Ind). "The recommendations of Baker-Hamilton appealed to me."

Bush's remarks were the clearest yet on his vision for the long-term U.S. role in Iraq.

It also represented a significant shift in his public position on the study group's recommendations, which when they were unveiled were embraced by war critics but largely ignored by the White House.

According to people familiar with internal administration discussions, senior officials were even more dismissive in private, suggesting the group's report was a recipe for defeat.

Despite the public shift, Bush made clear that he did not necessarily see a more limited role for troops coming soon, emphasizing that curtailing the violence through his "surge" strategy would take precedence.

"I didn't think we could get there unless we increased the troop levels to secure the capital," he said.

Still, he said, the next phase of the war would have U.S. troops train Iraqis, guard the country's borders and pursue Al Qaeda. The study group recommended reducing the size of the force to 20,000, enough to train Iraqi troops. Bush did not endorse those targets. There are an estimated 146,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

Some congressional Republicans welcomed Bush's stance.

Sen. John W. Warner of Virginia, a bellwether of the party's position on the war, said he wanted Bush to move more quickly in carrying out the study group's recommendations, suggesting the White House shift its strategy as soon as July.

"The facts on the ground, if they continue to worsen as they have been here in the past months," would seem to make July an "opportune time," Warner said.