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Politics

Bush not satisfied with Iraq's progress

The president expresses frustration with the war but says it is being won and must continue.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 26, 2006

WASHINGTON - Acknowledging painful losses in Iraq, President Bush said Wednesday he is not satisfied with the progress of the war, but he still insisted the United States was winning and should not think about withdrawing.

Thirteen days before elections in which Republicans fear Iraq could cost them control of the House or Senate, Bush expressed unwavering confidence in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. generals running the war and Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, despite new strains between Baghdad and Washington.

"The ultimate accountability rests with me," Bush said of Iraq. "If people are unhappy about it, look right to the president." He spoke in the East Room at an hourlong news conference dominated by Iraq questions.

In Baghdad, the Iraqi leader took a hard slap at the United States for a raid by U.S. and Iraqi forces on the stronghold of a Shiite militia led by a radical anti-American cleric on whom Maliki relies for political support.

Maliki also criticized the top U.S. military and diplomatic representatives in Iraq for saying his government needed to set a timetable to curb violence in the country.

Now in its fourth year, the war is the top campaign issue. A majority of Americans are opposed to Bush's handling of Iraq, and increasing numbers of Republican candidates have signaled impatience with the president's policies as U.S. deaths have climbed above 2,800. Bush indicated he shared the public's frustration even as he pushed back against calls for troop withdrawals.

"I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq," he said in a lengthy statement before taking questions. "I'm not satisfied either." October has been the deadliest month this year for American forces, and the war soon will have lasted longer than U.S. involvement in World War II.

Bush said the United States was changing tactics to deal with circumstances in Iraq but shouldn't change the overall direction of the war.

Bush voiced confidence in Maliki, calling him "the right man" for Iraq now.

In Baghdad, Maliki said the raid on the militia stronghold "will not be repeated."

On the timetable, Maliki said "I affirm that this government represents the will of the people, and no one has the right to impose a timetable on it."

Despite criticism that Maliki has failed to stop sectarian violence, Bush said, "We'll push him, but we're not going to push him to the point where he can't achieve the objective." At the same time, Bush said Iraq's government "must respect the fact that we've got patience, but not unlimited patience."

Democrats said Bush's appearance was evidence that the war had shaken voters and the administration needed to salvage its reputation on national security. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., called the news conference an election-season "performance" to "convince Americans he has a plan for Iraq. But the president can't sell what he doesn't have."

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Bush of changing his tune. "One day, our senior military leaders indicate more troops may be needed, the next day the president discounts that option. One day, it's stay the course, the next day it's change the course."

Bush rejected Democratic calls for a timetable for troop withdrawals. Currently there are 144,000 U.S. forces in Iraq.

"We cannot allow our dissatisfaction to turn into disillusionment about our purpose in this war," the president said.

A fixed timetable for withdrawal "means defeat," he said. "You can't leave until the job is done." Bush said he would send more troops if Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Baghdad, said more were needed. A day earlier, Casey said he might need an increase in U.S. forces in Baghdad to stop the rising bloodshed.

"We're winning and we will win, unless we leave before the job is done," Bush said.

Other topics

What President Bush said on other issues:

"If you raise taxes, it will hurt the economy. If you don't extend the tax cuts, if you don't make them - in other words, if you let the tax cuts expire, it will be a tax increase on the American people. ... And taking (money) out of the pockets of the working people will make it harder to sustain economic growth."

"I haven't given up on any of those issues. I've got two years left to achieve them. And I firmly believe it is more likely to achieve those three objectives with a Republican-controlled Congress and a Republican-controlled Senate. And I believe I'll be working with a Republican-controlled Congress and a Republican- controlled Senate."

"If any person in any party fails to live up to high standards, they ought to be held to account. It's important for there to be trust in the halls of Congress and in the White House and throughout government. ... And I fully expect, you know, people to be held to account if there's wrongdoing; just like I expect corporate executives to be held to account for wrongdoing, just like I expect people throughout our society to be held to account for wrongdoing."

[Last modified October 26, 2006, 00:42:18]