It's time for President Bush to take a hard look at the facts of Iraq and accept the guidance of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group.

The recommendation of the commission — chartered by Congress and led by former secretary of state James A. Baker III and former Congressman Lee H. Hamilton — calls for all U.S. combat troops to withdraw by early 2008. But the plan allows for as many as 70,000 to remain to train and advise the Iraqis.

While setting a specific date for withdrawal from Iraq could be a tactical mistake that plays into the hands of insurgents, it's hard to keep our troops in a situation without a clear idea of our objectives and how success should be measured.

The plan, leaked to the Washington Post, will be officially released Wednesday. It doesn't espouse "cut and run," but represents a good compromise that offers clarity. It gives the president a graceful way to change the mission by placing the United States in a secondary role, while allowing the Iraqis control of their destiny. The plan also doesn't mean the end of all U.S. military involvement. Withdrawal will be offset by thousands of advisors and embedded troops in a support role. There is even a provision that extends the 2008 goal due to "unexpected developments."

More importantly, the proposal recognizes the United States is no longer involved in an open-ended commitment that has cost our nation billions of dollars and thousands of lives. As one unnamed source familiar with the proposal told the Washington Post last week: "Everybody understands that we're at the end of the road here."

The study group offers good advice, which the president should consider seriously.