Bush sees no 'graceful exit' from Iraq

The White House has ordered a sweeping government-wide reassessment of US policy in Iraq, amid soaring sectarian violence, fears of all-out civil war, and mounting domestic pressure to bring US troops back after opposition Democrats took control of the US Congress in the November 7 elections.

High hopes for designing an exit strategy are being placed on a bipartisan commission created by the US Congress and officially known as the Iraq Study Group.

The panel is a major chance for the president to overhaul his policy as Iraq, even though the recommendations are nonbinding.

The 10 "wise men" on the panel, led by former US secretary of state James Baker, have written a report that is to be delivered to the president on December 6. Details however have been leaking to the press for days.

The report will call for a withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq by early 2008, while leaving behind soldiers for training and support, the Washington Post reported Friday.

The date is not firm, but rather a goal based on circumstances on the ground, according to the Post, citing sources familiar with the proposal.

"It's really about transitioning from a combat to a support role, and basically making very clear that this is no longer an open-ended commitment and we're going to get this done whether the Iraqis like it or not," one of the sources told the Post. "Everybody understands that we're at the end of the road here."

The Post also said the document calls for embedding US soldiers directly with Iraqi security units as early as January to improve their efficiency.