Dumb and Dumber get smarter

President Bush, facing political pressure for troop cutbacks, said Tuesday he would make a fresh assessment about Iraq's needs for U.S. military help now that a new government has taken office in Baghdad.

So does Blair. It seems both are attempting to improve their credit ratings back home. That could only be good for the world.

They will discuss plans for an accelerated exit of troops from Iraq, starting in July.

The US will increasingly play a supporting role as Baghdad's new government gains its footing, the American president has said.

But George Bush offered no timetable for a US withdrawal despite the new prime minister's promise that Iraqi forces would be in charge in most of the country by December and a British prediction that foreign troops may be out within four years.