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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hope Praytochange who wrote (454700)	9/8/2003 9:56:33 PM
From: Skywatcher	Respond to of 769670

The only person this criticism is hurting is RUMMIE RUMSFELD and partner in crime BUSH Jr Rumsfeld: Criticism at Home, Abroad Harms War on Terrorism By Dana Priest Washington Post Monday 08 September 2003 Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, concluding a four-day trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, said today that critics of the Bush administration's Iraq policy are encouraging terrorists and complicating the ongoing U.S. war on terrorism. "We know for a fact . . . that terrorists studied Somalia and they studied instances where the United States was dealt a blow and tucked in and persuaded themselves they could, in fact, cause us to acquiesce in whatever it is they wanted us to do," he told reporters aboard his plane. "The United States is not going to do that. President Bush is not going to do that. Now, to the extent terrorists are given reason to believe he might, or if he is not willing to, the opponents might prevail in some way . . . and they take heart in that, and that leads to more recruiting . . . that leads to more encouragement, or that leads to more staying power. Obviously that does make it more difficult." Rumsfeld made clear that he was talking about both the international press, such as reports on the Arab al Jazeera television network, and critics in the United States. The comments followed a very similar expression last night by President Bush in his address to the nation about the situation in Iraq. "In the past, the terrorists have cited the examples of Beirut and Somalia, claiming that if you inflict harm on Americans, we will run from a challenge," Bush said in a nationally televised speech. "In this, they are mistaken." In his speech, Bush outlined changes in the U.S. occupation policy in Iraq, a strategy that had been largely devised by Rumsfeld. Following the fall of Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq, Rumsfeld and his aides had resisted attempts by State Department officials and some diplomats for help from the United Nations in the reconstruction and security efforts there. They argued that U.S. troops, with the aid of foreign troops brought in by the United States, could complete the mission. But following several major bombings in recent weeks, continued attacks against U.S. troops and the increasing cost associated with the deployment, Bush administration officials last week announced that they would seek U.N. support for more troops from other countries to help in the occupation and financial help from other world powers. The president last night repeated that. Last week, Rumsfeld disputed the idea that the new overture to the United Nations amounted to a change in course. He pointed out that 22,000 foreign troops already are serving alongside the 140,000 members of the U.S. military in Iraq. Earlier in his trip, Rumsfeld had criticized the U.S. news media for ignoring "the story of success and accomplishment" in Iraq and argued that the speed of improvement in the country "dwarfs any other experience I'm aware of," including Germany and Japan after World War II. He argued that the impact of continued attacks against U.S. forces had been overstated and likened them to isolated terrorist violence "in every country in the world." After a three-day visit with U.S. troops and officials in Iraq, Rumsfeld flew to Kabul to Iraq to show support for the government of Hamid Karzai, which is plagued by political uncertainty, a record number of opium poppy crops, violent warlord rivalries and an urgent need for basic services after years of Taliban rule. cc