Originally Posted by raveneye

And of course the administration can claim anything they want, because there is no external objective standard to indicate whether "Iraqi security forces are ready" etc.

So they are free to do whatever they think is required by domestic politics, while all the while claiming that it is not a change in policy.

If you are comfortable with trusting the bush administration, then you are comfortable in believing that politics had nothing to do with this completely unexpected announcement.

My personal view is that John Murtha galvanized public opinion in a way that forced the administration into this position.