President Bush has announced a freeze to all US troop withdrawals from Iraq after some brigades pull out in July. This week the top US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, told lawmakers troops need to remain to protect what he called the gains of the so-called “surge.” On Thursday, Bush said Petraeus would have “all the time he needs.”

President Bush: “After detailed discussions with my national security team, including the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Joint Chiefs of Staff, I’ve accepted these recommendations. The recommendation likely to receive the most attention is on troop levels.”

Bush also said he will decrease the length of deployments in Iraq back down to twelve months from the fifteen-month terms he imposed last year. The change will only apply to deployments beginning in August. Also Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he’s abandoned hopes of reducing the US military occupation to less than 100,000 troops by the end of this year. At a Capitol Hill news conference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized Bush’s announcement.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “This is not a so-called troop withdrawal pause. With today’s announcement, the President signaled to the American people that he has no intention of bringing home any more troops. Instead, he’s leaving all the tough decisions to the only person that is going to have to make those tough decisions, the next president of the United States. The President has a timeline: January 20th of next year. Our troops also need a timeline.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also criticized President Bush. Pelosi said the White House is entrenching the Iraq occupation beyond Bush’s presidency.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “The President has taken us into a failed war. He’s taken us deeply into debt, and that debt is taking us into recession. We need some answers for the President.”