Bush: GOP on right side of Iraq war issue
WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush on Monday embraced the Iraq war as a top issue in the November elections and tried to make it a weapon against Democrats rather than a liability for Republicans.
"There's a fundamental difference between many of the Democrats and my party, and that is, they want to leave before the job is completed in Iraq," Bush contended at a news conference.
He said the highly unpopular war is "straining the psyche of our country" but leaving now would be a disaster.
Bush served notice he would not change course or flinch from debate about the war as he campaigns for Republicans in the fall congressional elections. In fact, he suggested that national security and the economy should be top political issues, and criticized the Democrats' approach on both.
In response, Democrats said it was time for a new direction and Bush should begin redeploying troops this year.
"Our soldiers in Iraq should transition to a more limited mission focused on counterterrorism, force protection of U.S. personnel and training and logistical support of Iraqi security forces," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said.
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said, "Far from spreading freedom and democracy in the Middle East, the Bush administration has watched while extremists grow stronger, Iran goes nuclear, Iraq falls into civil war and oil and gas prices skyrocket. Simply staying the course is unacceptable."
Insisting that the United States cannot leave before the mission is accomplished, Bush said, "I can't tell you exactly when it's going to be done." But, he said, "if we ever give up the desire to help people who live in freedom, we will have lost our soul as a nation, as far as I'm concerned."
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