White House And Pentagon Agree That Iraqi Forces Remain Unprepared To Take Over Security Mission

As President Bush prepares to address the nation Thursday about the state of the Iraq War, The New York Times is reporting that the White House and Pentagon share Gen. David Petraeus' bleak assessment of the preparedness of the Iraqi security forces:

As the testimony concluded late on Wednesday, President Bush was preparing to lay out his plans for Iraq when he speaks from the Cross Hall of the White House on Thursday morning.

Senior officials said the president would almost certainly endorse General Petraeus's desire for sustained troop levels for at least 45 days after the final brigades from the troop increase leave. They said General Petraeus's assessment that Iraqi forces remained unprepared to take over the security mission was shared by the White House and the Pentagon.

Read the entire story.

Earlier: "We Haven't Turned Any Corners. We Haven't Seen Any Light At The End Of The Tunnel."

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