Bush Upbeat
President Bush just got back from a lightning strike into Baghdad, and he emerged in one of those moments of clarity that he has from time to time. He was quotable and confident. He said:"If we stand down too soon, it won't enable us to achieve our objectives," the president said.These moments of eloquence are all too rare from him. Expect his poll numbers to rise.
He said the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces would depend on how well the Iraqi people accept al-Maliki's new unity government.
Bush said enough American forces would remain in Iraq "for the government to succeed."
Pulling out too soon "will make the world a more dangerous place. It's bad policy," Bush said.
"My message to the enemy is, don't count on us leaving before we succeed," Bush said.
As to war critics, Bush said, "my message to the critics is, we listen very carefully, and we adjust when needed to adjust."
UPDATE: The Washington Post has more quotes.