WASHINGTON -- With the Iraq war hanging oppressively over his presidency, George W. Bush is heading to Camp David today with his top advisers in hopes of gaining fresh perspective on his most pressing problem.
The two-day working session at the presidential compound in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains marks an effort by Bush to take advantage of news of the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and the forming of a new Iraqi government.
The high-level retreat comes at a pivotal moment: Bush is under pressure to show progress in Iraq amid growing calls for a new strategy that could hasten the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Few expect the president to relent on his refusal to give a timetable for troop reductions, but the meetings are an opportunity for Bush to convince critics that he is eager to roll up his sleeves - outside of a formal governmental setting - and deal with the issue.
"I felt that Camp David is a good place to do it, because it can be distracting down in Washington," Bush said Friday.
In taking key aides to the presidential retreat north of Frederick, Bush is following a familiar pattern.
When the going gets tough at the White House, presidents have often repaired to Camp David to puzzle over perplexing problems - from low personal popularity and high gas prices for Jimmy Carter, to disharmony among his senior staff for Bill Clinton.
Bush plans sessions there today with his national security team and members of his Cabinet, as well as a group of outside experts. Bush and other U.S. officials will speak tomorrow by teleconference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and government ministers in Baghdad. Bush plans to return to the White House later in the day for public remarks about the retreat, which he billed as a chance to determine "the way forward" in the war.
"Together we will determine how to best deploy America's resources in Iraq and achieve our shared goal of an Iraq that can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself," Bush said in his weekend radio address.
Presidents seek out Camp David in large part for its woodsy informality. Administration officials past and present said the surroundings allow for more frank and focused discussions - and fewer chances for the news media to observe them. Operated by the Navy and guarded heavily by Marines, the site nonetheless has the feel of a camp, say those who have spent time there, with the president and top officials mingling in their shirtsleeves in a rustic setting.
