President George Bush announced that after the surge ends this summer there will be no further troop withdrawals from Iraq. The president’s announcement virtually guarantees that the US will be keeping 140,000 troops in Iraq until he leaves office next January.

Accepting the advice of his top commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, Bush will freeze troop levels in Iraq after the 20,000 to 30,000 surge forces arrive home in mid-summer. At the same time he bowed to pressure from leaders at the Pentagon to reduce the strain on weary soldiers and their families. 15-month deployments will be cut to 12, with an equal amount of time spent stateside before returning to the war front.

Standing before the press in the Rose Garden yesterday, Bush stated that “with the surge a major strategic shift has occurred. It is clear that we are on the right track.”

That was not an opinion shared by the Democratic leaders. Rep Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, responded that “[Bush] is just dragging this out so he can put it at the doorstep of the new President of the United States.”

By any measure the surge has reduced violence in Iraq, both against American forces and Iraqi civilians. But it’s a fragile situation that could worsen in an instant. So far, the war has cost more than 4,000 American lives and $500 billion tax dollars.

With a promise dating back to the invasion five years ago, Bush stated that “ultimately we expect Iraq to shoulder the full burden of these costs.” The lack of Iraqi support for the costs is proving to be an embarrassment for the administration, with Iraq’s oil revenues expected to hit $100 billion this year alone.

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