Return on success

In his eighth major speech to the nation regarding progress of the war in Iraq, on September 13, 2007, President George W. Bush introduced his most recent strategy for winning by coining the new slogan Return On Success.

According to the White House Fact Sheet: "'Return On Success' Guiding Principle For Troop Levels In Iraq", Bush states that the "principle guiding his decisions on troop levels in Iraq is 'return on success' – the more successful we are, the more American troops can return home."

President Bush endorsed the plan of Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, to "stay 9-10 years in Iraq, prolonging the escalation until next summer." He also adopted the drawdown proposal put forth by Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), with a "total of 5,700 of the 21,500 combat troops added" in 2007 to "return by Christmas."

Following a mid-day media briefing with President Bush, NBC's Tim Russert "added further details about Bush's 'long-term commitment' to Iraq:


 * "'At the end of 2008, by the best calculations, there will be anywhere from ninety to 110,000 troops still in Iraq. And if in fact there’s going to be this long term strategic relationship, that number will necessarily have to go down, but it indicates that we are in Iraq for the long, long haul."

"So what would Americans have to commit to Bush’s long-term plan?" Satyam Khanna of Think Progress wrote. On September 13, 2007, the Center for American Progress "offered a 'conservative projection,' suggesting that 'we could well suffer between 8,220 and 11,167 additional deaths' and potentially 59-80,000 wounded.

"Furthermore, despite three different scenarios on troop levels (70,000, 100,000, and 130,000), each adds up to well over $1 trillion in tax dollars spent on the war by FY2017," Khanna wrote.

Bush's speech was also devoid of any reference to "victory" in Iraq, which was abandoned in favor of "success". What constitutes "success" was not clearly defined.

Also see

 * National Strategy for Victory in Iraq
 * The Long War

External articles

 * William Douglas, "Bush asks nation for patience," McClatchy Newspapers, September 13, 2007.
 * Susan Page, "Bush buys more time to make mark in Iraq," USA TODAY, September 13, 2007.
 * Joe Sudbay, AMERICAblog, September 13, 2007:
 * "135,000 troops is not less, just more of the same"
 * "Senator Jack Reed gives the response to Bush's 'stay the course' BIG SPEECH"
 * "Reid and Pelosi weigh in on Bush's speech"
 * "Tomorrow, Bush admin. will report progress on only one of the 18 benchmarks since last report"


 * "Bush reports few gains in new Iraq report," The Politico, September 13, 2007.
 * Amanda Terkel, "New WH Report Contradicts Bush’s Claim That Troop Drawdown Is Result Of ‘Success’ In Iraq," Think Progress, September 13, 2007.
 * "Bush’s claim of ‘36 countries’ in Iraq is ‘ludicrous'," Think Progress, September 13, 2007. See coalition of the willing.
 * Editorial: "The Least Bad Plan," Washington Post, September 14, 2007.
 * Glenn Kessler, "FACT CHECK: The President Asserted Progress on Security and Political Issues. Recent Reports Weren't Often So Upbeat," Washington Post, September 14, 2007.
 * Jonathan Weisman and Paul Kane, "Facing Tough Reelection Bids, GOP Moderates React With Concern," Washington Post, September 14, 2007.
 * David E. Sanger, "Multiple Messages and Audiences," New York Times, September 14, 2007.
 * Edward Luce and Andrew Ward, "Bush agrees to limited troop cuts," Financial Times, September 14, 2007.
 * David Jackson, "Bush: Continue U.S. presence in Iraq," USA TODAY, September 14, 2007.
 * David S. Cloud, "Number of Soldiers to Be Left in Iraq Remains Unclear" and "Why Officers Differ on Troop Reduction," New York Times, September 14, 2007.
 * John Aravosis, "Republicans are passing small rectangular sun-dried objects," AMERICAblog, September 14, 2007.