What the media is not reporting about Bush's announcement...

Today President Bush announced that tours of duty in Iraq will be reduced to 12 months instead of 15. Nearly every media outlet that has reported on this makes it sound like a great and generous announcement on the President's part. It almost sounds like the troops will come home early.

What they have failed to report is a very important part of the deal. Anyone currently in Iraq is NOT coming home early. The 12 month tour of duty only applies to troops deploying after August 1st.

From the White House website: President Bush Discusses Iraq:

"Our work in Iraq will still demand sacrifices from our whole nation, especially our military, for some time to come. To ease the burden on our troops and their families, I've directed the Secretary of Defense to reduce deployment lengths from 15 months to 12 months for all active Army soldiers deploying to the Central Command area of operations. These changes will be effective for those deploying after August 1st."

This means this promise from President Bush is one he won't be around to keep.

The media seems to be giving Bush a free PR day.

A.L.