Preznit & Posse on Iraq or Lame Duck & Ducklings Keep Quacking

… Bush said talk of a US withdrawal from Iraq was premature but placed new leaders in Baghdad squarely in charge of ultimately pacifying their country.

Bush suggested that the fledgling government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki should tap Iraq’s vast oil reserves to create a special fund to help Iraqis, securing support against militants behind a bloody insurgency.

“The best way to win this war against an insurgency is to stand up a unity government which is capable of defending itself but also providing tangible benefits to the people,” he said at the Camp David retreat in Maryland.

His comments came after the first of two days of high-level talks with top US diplomatic and military officials to reassess the war effort in Iraq. He was to speak to Maliki and his aides via videoconference on Tuesday.