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Bush stands firm on transfer of power in Iraq
U.S. President Bush on Tuesday night vowed not to "step back" from a pledge to turn power over to Iraqis on June 30. Bush said Iraqis "do not support an indefinite occupation" -- and that neither do the American people.
Bush acknowledged "tough weeks" in Iraq recently, but insisted most of the country is "relatively stable." Bush said remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime, along with Islamic militants and terrorists from other countries, were organizing recent attacks against U.S. forces. "If additional forces are needed, I will send them," Bush said. Bush said he has authorized U.S. military commanders to use "decisive force" to restore order and protect American troops in Iraq. "We will not permit the spread of chaos," he said. Responding to a reporter's question, Bush rejected comparisons between Iraq and Vietnam. "I think the analogy is false," Bush said. "I also happen to think that analogy sends the wrong message to our troop and sends the wrong message to the enemy."
It comes at a time when his policy in Iraq is under fire, his administration's pre-9/11 antiterrorism efforts are under scrutiny and the battle for the White House is heating up. The past few weeks have been especially deadly ones in Iraq, with U.S. forces and civilian contractors targeted in numerous attacks. At least 26 Americans were killed in weekend fighting, and there has been a rise in the abduction of foreign nationals. On Monday, the commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid, told the Pentagon he needs about 10,000 more troops in Iraq in light of the recent surge in violence there. Bush's all-but-certain Democratic rival for the White House, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, has grown increasingly critical of the president's Iraq policy, saying the administration has alienated allies and failed to outline a comprehensive plan for bringing democracy to Iraq. "George Bush in my judgment has run a foreign policy that has made us less safe than we ought to be in the aftermath of 9/11," Kerry said during one recent campaign stop. Bush is also facing questions about the administration's antiterrorism efforts before September 11. One intelligence memo -- titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." and delivered to the president a month before the attacks -- was recently released by the White House at the urging of an independent commission investigating the attacks. Bush has said several times during the past few days that the memo did not indicate an attack was imminent, and other administration officials have told the commission they did all they could to thwart terrorism. At the same time, Bush said Monday that changes might be in order for U.S. intelligence services. "Now may be a time to revamp and reform our intelligence services," Bush told reporters Monday. "And we look forward to hearing recommendations. We're thinking about that ourselves, and we look forward to working with the commission." Tuesday's solo news conference is the 12th of Bush's presidency. Bush has held fewer formal news conferences than any president in modern history. He takes reporters' questions in more informal settings throughout the year. No length of time has been specified for the session, but previous news conferences have ranged from 45 minutes to an hour. |
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