American soldiers conducting a patrol in the Kadhimiya neighborhood of Baghdad in April 2007. (Michael Kamber for The New York Times ) Months Of Intense Debate Preceded Iraq Surge
-- International Herald Tribune
-- International Herald Tribune
WASHINGTON: As President George W. Bush's term draws to a close and the Republican Party focuses on his successor and the impact of the Bush legacy on the future of the party, the president and his allies are expected to tout the surge of forces in Iraq among his proudest achievements. But that decision, one of his most consequential as commander in chief, was made only after months of tumultuous debate within the administration, according to still-secret memorandums and interviews with a broad range of current and former officials.
In January 2007, when the situation in Iraq appeared at its bleakest, Bush chose a bold option that was at odds with what many of his civilian and military advisers, including his field commander, initially recommended. Bush's dispatch of more than 20,000 troops to carry out a new strategy has helped to reverse the spiral of sectarian killings in Iraq.
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