Iraq: When is a withdrawal not a withdrawal?

Answer: When it's the President announcing the news. Whether it's Reagan talking about Lebanon, Clinton talking about Somalia or Bush talking about Iraq, it's the same result.

Then (September 22, 2005), from The Guardian (UK):

President George Bush today insisted American forces would not withdraw from Iraq "on my watch" and give terrorists the chance "to claim an historic victory over the United States."

And now (January 4, 2005), from Netscape and Agence France-Press:

President George W. Bush praised Iraq for making significant strides toward assuming responsibility for the country's security, saying the inroads will allow the United States to begin scaling back its troop presence there.

What a difference just three and half months make! But wait, there's more:

"My decisions will be based upon conditions on the ground and the recommendation of our commanders, not based by false political timetables in Washington, DC," he said.

"I'm not going to let politics get in the way of doing the right thing in Iraq."

You mean like the November 2006 elections, right? And isn't 2006 still on Bush's watch?