Gold9472
04-23-2007, 11:04 AM
Bush says Iraq operations 'meeting expectations'
The president talks up his troop buildup strategy but acknowledges 'horrific' bombings this week in Baghdad.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-bush21apr21,1,2845943.story?coll=la-news-a_section&ctrack=1&cset=true
By James Gerstenzang, Times Staff Writer
April 21, 2007
EAST GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — President Bush said Friday that his revised military strategy was taking hold in Iraq and "the direction of the fight is beginning to shift," even as he acknowledged "horrific" bombings that killed more than 200 people in Baghdad this week.
"So far, the operation is meeting expectations," Bush said of the boost in U.S. troops he ordered and the new focus on improving security in Baghdad neighborhoods.
The president said the number of sectarian attacks in the capital had declined by half since the stepped-up efforts began.
But Bush also said, "We have seen some of the highest casualty levels of the war."
And he cautioned that as more troops arrive to conduct more military maneuvers, "we can expect the pattern to continue."
In taking note of the deadly Baghdad bombings on Wednesday, Bush suggested a link between the violence and Al Qaeda terrorists.
While conceding there was no specific intelligence tying the bombings to Al Qaeda, he said, "the men who attacked Iraqis … swear allegiance to the same network" that assaulted the United States on 9/11."
"This was hardly a random act of murder," Bush said of the explosions in Baghdad. "It has all the hallmarks of an Al Qaeda attack. The terrorists bombed … at rush hour with a specific intent to kill as many people as possible."
His remarks echoed controversial assertions he made during the walk-up to the war in Iraq more than four years ago, when Bush and his aides spoke of ties between the government of dictator Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda.
Bush has since said there was no evidence of such connections.
Bush's speech was his second sustained effort in two days to rebuild flagging support for the war by making his case in Republican communities where he has found friendly audiences.
On Thursday, he spoke in Tipp City, Ohio, a small town represented in Congress by House Minority Leader John A. Boehner.
On Friday, the president spoke at East Grand Rapids High School to an audience of about 500 people; most were members of the Western Michigan World Affairs Council, an organization that promotes discussion of foreign policy.
Nearby Grand Rapids was the hometown of the late President Ford, and Bush's host pointed out that East Grand Rapids was the home of the late Sen. Arthur Vandenberg, a Republican who fought isolationism and promoted bipartisanship in American foreign policy in the mid-20th century.
Bush's appearance came the day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) attracted widespread notice by saying at a news conference that he believed the war "is lost."
Reid continued his criticism of Bush's Iraq policy Friday, saying in a Senate speech, "The longer we continue down the president's path, the further we will be from responsibly ending this war."
He called on Bush to stop "partisan attacks," abandon his "failed strategy" and "recognize the reality on the ground in Iraq."
Bush and the Democrats who control Congress are deadlocked over the administration's request for about $103 billion in emergency funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Democrats want to attach language to the bill that, at the least, commits the U.S. to goals for withdrawing troops from Iraq.
Some Democrats want stronger provisions that set specific deadlines.
Bush has repeatedly said he would veto any measure that, in his view, infringed on his prerogatives as commander-in-chief.
Both Thursday and Friday, Bush spoke for about an hour and a half, delivering a nearly 45-minute speech and then responding to questions.
Bush said U.S. and Iraqi forces had received more tips about terrorist and insurgent hideouts in the last three months than in any previous three-month period. He also said seizures of weapons had increased.
"Day by day, block by block, Iraqi and American forces are making incremental gains in Baghdad," he said.
But he also said that in some cases, insurgents have shifted their operations outside the city.
And he said that Anbar Province, a stronghold for Sunni insurgents in western Iraq, "still is not safe."
About 12,000 U.S. troops have been added under Bush's plan; the increase is expected to total more than 20,000. That would bring the number of U.S. forces in Iraq to about 160,000.
The president talks up his troop buildup strategy but acknowledges 'horrific' bombings this week in Baghdad.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-bush21apr21,1,2845943.story?coll=la-news-a_section&ctrack=1&cset=true
By James Gerstenzang, Times Staff Writer
April 21, 2007
EAST GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — President Bush said Friday that his revised military strategy was taking hold in Iraq and "the direction of the fight is beginning to shift," even as he acknowledged "horrific" bombings that killed more than 200 people in Baghdad this week.
"So far, the operation is meeting expectations," Bush said of the boost in U.S. troops he ordered and the new focus on improving security in Baghdad neighborhoods.
The president said the number of sectarian attacks in the capital had declined by half since the stepped-up efforts began.
But Bush also said, "We have seen some of the highest casualty levels of the war."
And he cautioned that as more troops arrive to conduct more military maneuvers, "we can expect the pattern to continue."
In taking note of the deadly Baghdad bombings on Wednesday, Bush suggested a link between the violence and Al Qaeda terrorists.
While conceding there was no specific intelligence tying the bombings to Al Qaeda, he said, "the men who attacked Iraqis … swear allegiance to the same network" that assaulted the United States on 9/11."
"This was hardly a random act of murder," Bush said of the explosions in Baghdad. "It has all the hallmarks of an Al Qaeda attack. The terrorists bombed … at rush hour with a specific intent to kill as many people as possible."
His remarks echoed controversial assertions he made during the walk-up to the war in Iraq more than four years ago, when Bush and his aides spoke of ties between the government of dictator Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda.
Bush has since said there was no evidence of such connections.
Bush's speech was his second sustained effort in two days to rebuild flagging support for the war by making his case in Republican communities where he has found friendly audiences.
On Thursday, he spoke in Tipp City, Ohio, a small town represented in Congress by House Minority Leader John A. Boehner.
On Friday, the president spoke at East Grand Rapids High School to an audience of about 500 people; most were members of the Western Michigan World Affairs Council, an organization that promotes discussion of foreign policy.
Nearby Grand Rapids was the hometown of the late President Ford, and Bush's host pointed out that East Grand Rapids was the home of the late Sen. Arthur Vandenberg, a Republican who fought isolationism and promoted bipartisanship in American foreign policy in the mid-20th century.
Bush's appearance came the day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) attracted widespread notice by saying at a news conference that he believed the war "is lost."
Reid continued his criticism of Bush's Iraq policy Friday, saying in a Senate speech, "The longer we continue down the president's path, the further we will be from responsibly ending this war."
He called on Bush to stop "partisan attacks," abandon his "failed strategy" and "recognize the reality on the ground in Iraq."
Bush and the Democrats who control Congress are deadlocked over the administration's request for about $103 billion in emergency funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Democrats want to attach language to the bill that, at the least, commits the U.S. to goals for withdrawing troops from Iraq.
Some Democrats want stronger provisions that set specific deadlines.
Bush has repeatedly said he would veto any measure that, in his view, infringed on his prerogatives as commander-in-chief.
Both Thursday and Friday, Bush spoke for about an hour and a half, delivering a nearly 45-minute speech and then responding to questions.
Bush said U.S. and Iraqi forces had received more tips about terrorist and insurgent hideouts in the last three months than in any previous three-month period. He also said seizures of weapons had increased.
"Day by day, block by block, Iraqi and American forces are making incremental gains in Baghdad," he said.
But he also said that in some cases, insurgents have shifted their operations outside the city.
And he said that Anbar Province, a stronghold for Sunni insurgents in western Iraq, "still is not safe."
About 12,000 U.S. troops have been added under Bush's plan; the increase is expected to total more than 20,000. That would bring the number of U.S. forces in Iraq to about 160,000.