WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- White House spokesman Tony Snow Monday denied a report the administration is considering a gradual pullback of U.S. troops in Iraq.
During the daily White House press briefing, Snow denied a New York Times report of increasing debate in the Bush administration, saying such consideration is "way ahead of the facts."
"There is no intensifying discussion about reducing troops," Snow said, adding that discussions of how to disengage have been under way since the Baker-Hamilton report was issued in January.
"It's the same sort of approach the president's always taken, which is, let's ascertain the facts on the ground and let's see what the commanders think is going to be the most successful and effective," Snow said.
The Times said the debate concerns whether Bush should try to prevent further defections in Congress by announcing his intention to begin a gradual withdrawal of troops from parts of Baghdad and other cities.
The White House hadn't expected to take up that question until September, when the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David Petraeus, and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq are to report on the results of the troop buildup Bush ordered this year.
