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 WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush reported progress in Iraq Friday, after hearing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki brief him on steps being taken by the government in Baghdad. "We appreciate the fact that he's beginning to meet the benchmarks that he set out for his people," Bush said.
The president spoke with al-Maliki by secure videoconference as the Democratic-controlled House debated a resolution rejecting his decision to deploy 21,500 additional troops to Iraq. The House later voted, 246-182, in favor of the nonbinding measure. Bush described his conversation with the Iraqi leader to reporters after an Oval Office meeting with Ryan Crocker, his nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
The president has said that the success of his new Iraq war plan depends almost entirely on al-Maliki following through on a daunting list of commitments. They include sending more and more capable Iraqi fighters into Baghdad, taking on powerful Shiite militias, investing heavily in reconstruction projects that help Sunnis as well as Shiites, and enacting legislation aimed at promoting reconciliation between the warring sects.
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