Panel will spell demise of the Bush doctrineMichael Gawenda Herald Correspondent in Washington
November 13, 2006
A COMMISSION of experts appointed by George Bush will advise the US President to abandon his dream of cementing a democratic system in Iraq and instead tackle the security crisis so US troops can start to withdraw.
The advice from the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel headed by James Baker, a former Republican secretary of state, will sideline the so-called Bush doctrine of spreading democracy in the Middle East. Mr Bush will meet the panel today and Tony Blair is expected to offer his views via a video-conference call tomorrow.
The day after "Iraq war fatigue" cost his Republican Party control of Congress, Mr Bush announced he was replacing Donald Rumsfeld as defence secretary with Robert Gates, a former CIA chief.
Mr Gates is a member of the Iraq group and has been a strong critic of his predecessor's handling of policy there and the use of prewar intelligence. He will provide the White House with the political cover for changes that would have been unthinkable a few months ago.
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http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/panel-will-spell-demise-of-the-bush-doctrine/2006/11/12/1163266411964.htmlI did notice it is now Bush or George Bush or Mr. Bush and not President Bush or even Mr. President