WASHINGTON, July 6 (UPI) -- The White House insisted Friday it was still too early to judge whether the president's "surge" strategy in Iraq is a success or not.
The final number of troops deployed for the surge only recently arrived in Iraq, said spokesman Tony Fratto, and it "is certainly way too early to give any kind of definite grade on how the surge is doing," he said.
"We see hopeful signs of progress. We see hopeful signs of success. (But) we're certainly not in a place to say that the surge has been a success. And we think no one is in a place to say that the surge is not a success either."
Fratto's observation came amid questions in a news briefing over Sen. Pete Domenici's statement Thursday that a new strategy for Iraq was needed given the apparent lack of Iraqi government progress on meeting essential progress benchmarks in achieving stability and national reconciliation. The strategy, he said, should be aimed at taking U.S. troops out of combat and bringing them home.
The statement by Domenici, R-N.M., was a blow to the White House. The senator has been a staunch supporter of Bush on the war; his new distancing from the president on the Iraq surge follows that by another key Republican lawmaker.
The surge strategy is a two-pronged approach. One prong is about 28,000 U.S. troops deployed specifically to Baghdad and its surrounding areas to clear terrorists, pacify and guard communities so that there is enough stability to enable the second prong -- the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki enacting and implementing reforms -- to take place.
President Bush just days ago had prodded the Iraqis again over those benchmarks in 40 minutes of telephone calls to key leaders.
An interim status report on the surge and benchmarks is to be given to the White House later this month by the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad.
A major report is due to be given to Congress in September.
