U.S. 'not leaving' Iraq, says president: Bush blames attacks on Saddam, denies public being duped
Perhaps it's just that I'm a product of my generation, but Iraq is beginning to feel a lot like Vietnam. We've got an enemy you can't see fighting an unconventional war against a highly trained conventional military force. A war of attrition benefitted the Viet Cong, and it certainly isn't hurting the Iraqi opposition at this point. I wonder when the Bush Administration is going to recognize the parallels and take steps to deal with the realities on the ground?
WASHINGTON -- President Bush vowed Tuesday to keep troops in Iraq and denied he had misled Americans about the perils of a post-war mission that has been losing public support in the face of mounting guerrilla attacks.
At a Rose Garden news conference, Bush defended his policies and likened the insurgent forces in Iraq to the terrorists who attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Iraq is dangerous, and it's dangerous because terrorists want us to leave," Bush said. "And we're not leaving."
With polls showing Americans losing patience with his post-war policies, Bush dismissed assertions that he had underestimated the dangers that remained in Iraq after he declared on May 1 that major combat operations had ended....
The president again blamed the attacks on Saddam Hussein loyalists and terrorists who had entered Iraq from neighboring Syria and Iran, which he said might prompt a change in tactics to disrupt the movement of insurgent forces.
"Basically what they're trying to do is -- is cause people to run. They want to kill and create chaos. That's the nature of a terrorist," Bush said.
It was the second time in two days that Bush has responded to the rash of bombings that have undercut a White House effort to paint a rosier assessment of progress in Iraq than it claims the media have portrayed.
The president's defense of his Iraq strategy comes as a new CNN/USA TODAY/Gallup poll found 57 percent of Americans saying the U.S. should withdraw all or some of its troops from Iraq. In August, 46 percent said the U.S. should begin pulling out.
The poll also found that half of the respondents disapproved of the U.S. handling of Iraq while 47 percent approved. And 40 percent said the war in Iraq has made them less confident of Bush's ability to handle the country's other big problems.
I suppose this is what happens when you enter into a war with no exit strategy. Perhaps the Bush Administration felt that they could just walk in, kick ass, and come home. They reality, though, has been somewhat different. Taking action unilaterally means have to take responsibility for the aftermath, something that clearly was NOT planned for- a mistake that has cost many young American soldiers their lives.
The American public is correct to question the ability of President Bush to handle big problems like Iraq. Let's just hope they'll keep this in mind in November, 2004.
