President George Bush's 24 May address to the US Army War College, billed as outlining strategy for turning over power in Iraq to an interim government and stabilising the country, provided some new operational details but no overarching strategy. While Bush outlined many themes previously expounded - such as the need to stay the course and empower Iraqis in securing their own future - the remarks offered few details of how Washington intends to accomplish that goal. The lack of a new direction came as a surprise given that Bush was under fire from Democrats and some key Republican allies such as Senator Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who had called for a change in Washington's Iraq strategy.
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