Bush Notes Grim Milestone, Hints at Pause in Withdrawals

WASHINGTON — On a day when President Bush somberly noted the U.S. military death toll in Iraq has topped 4,000, the White House on Monday indicated that he finds "some merit" in an expected recommendation from Gen. David Petraeus against additional troop cuts beyond those already scheduled to take place before July.

Press Secretary Dana Perino said it was "not unlikely" that Bush would concur with the recommendation Petraeus could make when he testifies to Congress April 8-9.

Bush went to the State Department on Monday for a two-hour video-conference with Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

After the session, Bush offered sympathy to the families of the fallen, a constituency he claims as significant and influential supporters of his war strategy.

"On this day of reflection, I offer our deepest sympathies to their families," Bush said at the State Department, adding, "I have vowed in the past and I will vow so long as I'm president to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain, that, in fact, there's an ... outcome that will merit the sacrifice that civilian and military alike have made."

There are now about 158,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, a number expected to drop by 18,000 by summer in a move that would remove all but 8,000 of the troops added in the surge that began last year. A suspension of additional troop cuts would be aimed at assessing the impact of the first round of draw-downs.

Approval of the expected recommendation would mean no additional troop cuts while Bush is in office.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Americans want to know how much longer U.S. troops must sacrifice for an Iraqi government "that is unwilling or unable to secure its own future.''

"Americans also understand that the cost of the war to our national security, military readiness and our reputation around the world is immense and that the threat to our economy - as the war in Iraq continues to take us deeper into debt - is unacceptable," Pelosi said.

Bush took no questions from reporters after his State Department visit, but made a statement about the U.S. death toll in Iraq.

"One day, people will look back at this moment in history and say, 'Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve because they laid the foundation for peace for generations to come,'" he said. "I vow so long as I am president to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain."

Bush says the families of the fallen largely back his war strategy.

"I try to get them to talk about their loved one," he said. "And to a person, nearly, I have been told that whatever you do, Mr. President, complete this job. And basically what they're saying is, don't let politics, don't let the Gallup Poll, don't let a focus group cause you to make a decision that is not in the best interests of our country and our military. And I assure them that they don't have to worry about that about George W. Bush."

Perino acknowledged there have been survivors who have asked him to stop the war.

"But the vast majority have all asked him not to allow that sacrifice to be in vain," she said.

To date, Bush has met with families of about 1,000 military personnel killed in the war.

Elaine Johnson of South Carolina is among those who have told Bush it's time to end the war. Johnson, whose son Darius Jennings was killed 11 days prior to his 23rd birthday in November 2003, said she expressed her views to Bush at meetings with him in Colorado and South Carolina.

"I told him I wanted to know why my son and the rest of the soldiers were over there," Johnson said Monday, adding that Bush responded with some words about "the mission." "He didn't have any answers as to why."

The first meeting was in 2003, not long after her son's death. The second meeting came last year.

"I asked the same question about the war and how long it would last and why can't he bring the troops home," she said. "At that time I didn't get an answer as to why."

Karen Meredith of Mountain Home, Calif., a spokeswoman for Gold Star Families Speak Out, said "If the White House didn't handpick the families he would certainly hear the truth from those of us who think it's long past due for our children to come home."

Perino denied the accusation about handpicking the families with whom Bush meets. She said the families are contacted by military bases that extend the invitations.

"Most say yes but there are some who decline to meet with the president for various reasons," Perino said.

Meredith's son Lt. Ken Ballard was killed in Iraq in May 2004. She said she initially was told he succumbed to enemy fire but, 15 months later was told he died from the accidental discharge of a machine gun on his tank, triggered by a tree branch.

"He was my only child," said Meredith, who has not met with Bush. "I would tell him that it's long past time to bring the troops home. My son was number 181, and 3,200 soldiers have been killed since then."