BAGHDAD -- A revised U.S. military plan for Iraq figures Iraqi forces won't be ready to enforce security until 2009, assuming there is stability to enforce.

U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the revised plan was developed jointly by Ambassador Ryan Crocker and the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus.

The story about the report was originally reported in Tuesday editions of The New York Times.

As news of the plan became public, President George W. Bush was in Charleston, S.C., insisting that his administration's war strategy was working -- and necessary.

"Nearly six years after the 9/11 attacks, America remains a nation at war. The terrorist network that attacked us that day is determined to strike our country again, and we must do everything in our power to stop them," Bush said. "A key lesson of Sept. 11 is that the best way to protect America is to go on the offense, to fight the terrorists overseas so we don't have to face them here at home. And that is exactly what our men and women in uniform are doing across the world."

"The key theater in this global war is Iraq. Our troops are serving bravely in that country. They're opposing ruthless enemies, and no enemy is more ruthless in Iraq than al-Qaida," Bush said. "They send suicide bombers into crowded markets; they behead innocent captives and they murder American troops. They want to bring down Iraq's democracy so they can use that nation as a terrorist safe haven for attacks against our country. So our troops are standing strong with nearly 12 million Iraqis who voted for a future of peace, and they so for the security of Iraq and the safety of American citizens."

The Pentagon plan presents a timetable that is starkly different from ones being pushed by members of Congress who want the U.S. to end its combat role in a matter of months. The plan envisions there will be security in most places, including Baghdad, by next summer. But it maintains it will be another year before Iraqi forces will be ready to take over enforcement.

Petraeus' chief spokesman said the plan does not make any assumptions about how many U.S. troops will be needed in Iraq between now and then, including when the current "surge" can wind down.

He also said the security goal for next summer is not written in stone and could change, depending on conditions on the ground.