U.S. President George W. Bush asked Congress on Tuesday to embrace his plan for U.S. troop levels in Iraq. Bush addressed about 850 members of military support organizations who were invited to a picnic on the White House's South Lawn. During his address, he urged lawmakers to back his plan to withdraw some troops from Iraq but keep at least 130,000 there through next summer or longer. “I ask the United States Congress to support the troop levels and the strategies I have embraced,” Bush said. Bush's address came after he announced plans last week for a limited drawdown in Iraq, including bringing home 5,700 troops by December followed by about 21,500 by next summer. His plan called for some U.S. combat forces to stay in Iraq well past 2008, Reuters reported.
