Josh Marshall:

Whether or not John Kerry has a clear plan for what to do in Iraq, it's quite clear that President Bush doesn't have any.

On the day Iraqi sovereignty was returned, President Bush said:

The United States military and our coalition partners have made a clear, specific and continuing mission in Iraq. As we train Iraqi security forces, we'll help those forces to find and destroy the killers. We'll protect infrastructure from the attacks.

We'll provide security for the upcoming elections. Operating in a sovereign nation, our military will act in close consultation with the Iraqi government. Yet coalition forces will remain under coalition command. Iraq's Prime Minister and President have told me that their goal is to eventually take full responsibility for the security of their country.

And America wants Iraqi forces to take that role. Our military will stay as long as the stability of Iraq requires, and only as long as their presence is needed and requested by the Iraqi government.

The plan: U.S. troops will stay in Iraq to provide security while, simultaneously training a new Iraqi military to protect its own country. Elections will be in January, as scheduled, and American troops will leave as Iraqi troops are able to take on security themselves.

As to the day-to-day details of which U.S. troops are deployed to which hotspots: Those are clearly military decisions made by military people. Among other things, General Tommy Franks' new book explains in detail that the White House has learned from Vietnam. It will not let bureaucrats and politicians micro-manage war plans. President Bush sets policy, the military carries out the details.

Is there a hard-and-fast U.S. withdrawal date? No - unless folks suggest giving a roadmap to American enemies showing how long they have to hide in the tall grass and wait it out.

You can disagree with President Bush's plan but you can't say he doesn't have one.