bush, his lies and delusions

Bush hits out at Iraq critics
January 12, 2006
theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17796901%255E2703,00.html

WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush has denounced Democratic critics of the Iraq war as irresponsible, saying he wants an election-year debate that "brings credit to our democracy, not comfort to our adversaries".

In a speech yesterday, Mr Bush made clear he was girding for battle with Democrats in the run-up to the mid-term congressional election in November, when he will try to keep the US Congress in the hands of his Republican Party amid domestic doubts about his Iraq policy.

"There is a difference between responsible and irresponsible debate and it's even more important to conduct this debate responsibly when American troops are risking their lives overseas," Mr Bush told the Veterans of Foreign Wars group.

His speech came as Democrat senator Hillary Clinton attacked the failure of the Bush administration to provide potentially lifesaving body armour to US troops in Iraq.

"We have not given many of our soldiers and marines the protection that they need. And it is just unforgivable and unacceptable," Senator Clinton, who serves on the Senate's Armed Service committee, told ABC television.

She made her remarks after The New York Times last week disclosed the findings of a secret Pentagon study that concluded up to 80per cent of the marines killed in Iraq from upper body wounds could have survived had they had extra body armour.

In his speech, Mr Bush predicted more tough fighting and more sacrifice in Iraq, where violence has surged since December parliamentary elections and negotiations to form a new government.

Mr Bush said progress would be made against the insurgency and on the Iraqi political process and reconstruction.

He acknowledged deep differences over Iraq among casualty-weary Americans, just 39per cent of whom approve of his handling of the war, according to an AP-Ipsos poll.

He also urged all governments to follow through on promised aid to Iraq, saying $US13billion ($17.2billion) had been pledged but not all of it delivered.

Mr Bush said Americans knew the difference between honest critics who questioned the way the war was being handled "and partisan critics who claim that we acted in Iraq because of oil, or because of Israel, or because we misled the American people".

He added: "So I ask all Americans to hold their elected leaders to account and demand a debate that brings credit to our democracy, not comfort to our adversaries."

Democrat senator Edward Kennedy used Mr Bush's argument against the President.

"I wholeheartedly agree with President Bush about the need for accountability in the debate on the war in Iraq - 2006 must be the year when the American people demand that President Bush and other high government officials be held accountable for their mistakes," Senator Kennedy said.