Key adviser to Bush on Iraq to step down

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Warren P. Strobel, McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON - President Bush is losing his top day-to-day adviser on Iraq, the White House confirmed Monday.
Meghan L. O'Sullivan, who has played a key behind-the-scenes role in implementing Bush's Iraq policies over the past four years, will leave this spring.

Her departure, which follows that of her deputy, could leave the White House with a vacuum of long-term experience on Iraq policy, and it comes as Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress prepare for a showdown over withdrawing U.S. troops.

O'Sullivan, 37, known for her 100-hour work weeks and steady optimism over the eventual outcome in Iraq, said in an interview that with the completion of monthslong reviews of policy in Iraq and Afghanistan -- which she also oversees -- she felt it was the right time for a change.

"There's never a good time to leave this kind of job. ... But this would be as good a time as any," she said, adding that she was happy with the outcome of both reviews.

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