In fact, the real effects of the surge and the continuing drawdown of the war in these final years may not be known for some months, other analysts say.
"I told the council I was concerned about the continuing drawdown of NATO forces and that we needed more troops," General Clark said, adding that nations had withdrawn troops from Kosovo because it was "expensive and difficult" to keep them there.
Some outside experts have begun to warn in stark terms that to continue the drawdown beyond July could put at risk what the surge has accomplished.
Some religious leaders said the killings could be retribution by Sunni insurgents for Sadr's recent call to halt attacks on U.S. forces as they continue the drawdown.
"My attitude is, if he didn't want to continue the drawdown, that's fine with me, in order to make sure we succeed, see," Mr. Bush said then.
"My attitude is, if he didn't want to continue the drawdown, that's fine with me in order to make sure we succeed, see," Mr. Bush told reporters inside a command center that oversees Army operations in a region stretching from Kenya to Kazakhstan.
The administration official described the emerging American plan as "a pause with the intent to continue the drawdown," and said the aim was simply to give General Petraeus enough time to assess the situation on the ground after the current round of reductions is complete.
But commanders on the ground say that the pieces have been put in place to continue the drawdown through the course of the next year.
This was the main reason, he said, why he's "hopeful that we'll be able to continue the drawdowns after July" — to make the dads less nervous about encouraging their kids to sign up.
Administration officials insist that those efforts will continue, despite the drawdown.
