President Bush has objected to any timetable for the withdrawal of US troops in Iraq after meeting with the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission which is advising a pullout and strengthened ties with Iran and Syria. The Iraq Study Group is headed by James Baker, the former secretary of state, and Lee Hamilton, a former Democratic representative. President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Chief of Staff Josh Bolton, and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, met the 10-member panel for an hour.

Bush promised to work with the incoming Democratic congress towards �common objectives�. However, when he met with Carl Levin, the Democrat in line to lead the Senate Armed Services Committee who proposed a phased troop reduction, Bush said: “I believe it is very important … for people making suggestions to recognize that the best military options depend on the conditions on the ground.”

In other words, the president believes in working with Democrats so long as they agree with everything he�s doing. Levin said the US administration still has not realized that “we’re getting deeper and deeper into a hole”.

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