Bush: The sacrifice is worth it
2005-06-29 07:53
North Carolina - President George W Bush rejected suggestions that he set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq or send in more troops, counselling patience for Americans who question the war's painful costs.
"Is the sacrifice worth it? It is worth it and it is vital to the security of our country," Bush told a nation increasingly doubtful about the toll of the 27-month-old war.
Bush spoke in a Tuesday night address for a half-hour from an army base that has 9 300 troops in Iraq, hoping to convince the public that his strategy for victory needs only time - not any changes - to be successful. He offered no shift in course.
"We have a clear path forward," he said. "As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down."
The audience of 750 soldiers and airmen in dress uniform listened mostly quietly, only breaking into applause when Bush vowed that the United States "will stay in the fight until the fight is won."
Less support from Americans
Bush said he understands the public concerns about a war that has killed over 1 740 Americans and at least 12 000 Iraqi civilians and cost $200bn. "Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed," he said.
Democrats and other critics said the country needed to hear more specifics about how to reach success in Iraq.
"The president's Iraq policy is adrift, disconnected from the reality on the ground and in need of major midcourse corrections," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "Staying the course, as the president advocates, is neither sustainable nor likely to lead to the success we all seek."
Recalling the September 11 2001, attacks a half-dozen times and suggesting a link with the Iraq war, Bush said the United States faces an enemy that has made Iraq the central front in the war on terror.
Bush's repeated acknowledgment of the likely deaths and difficulties to come came less than a month after vice-president Dick Cheney proclaimed the Iraq insurgency "in the last throes." Still, the president's overriding message was to proclaim progress and predict victory.
Bush has said a timetable would be "a serious mistake" that could demoralise Iraqis and American troops and embolden the enemy. "America will not leave before the job is done," he said.
He also said sending more troops would undermine the US strategy of training Iraqis to be able to as quickly as possible take over the security of their country.
"Sending more Americans would suggest that we intend to stay forever," he said.
Marking the first anniversary of the transfer of power from the US-led coalition to Iraq's interim government, Bush cited advances in the past year.
A recent Associated Press/Ipsos poll found a majority of Americans now think the war was a mistake.
- AP