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Bush Rejects Deadline for Withdrawal from Iraq
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President spoke at Osan Air Base in South Korea, before heading to
China





George and Laura Bush at Osan Air Base in South KoreaPresident Bush is
continuing his battle with opposition Democrats calling for the
withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Mr. Bush spoke to American troops at a
U.S. air base in South Korea following the close of a regional
economic summit.

President Bush came to Osan Air Base to thank U.S. troops for helping
to keep the peace on the Korean peninsula for the more than 50 years
since the end of fighting in the Korean War.

But it is today's war in Iraq that drew the most attention in the
president's speech as he again answered opposition Democrats calling
for U.S. troops there to come home.

"In Washington there are some who say that the sacrifice is too great,
and they urge us to set a date for withdrawal before we have completed
our mission," the president said. "Those who are in the field know
better. One of our top commanders in Iraq, Major General William
Webster, says that setting a deadline for our withdrawal from Iraq
would be, quote a recipe for disaster. General Webster is right."

President Bush told a crowd of troops wearing camouflage uniforms in
an airplane hangar that their work for peace and freedom involves
great sacrifice. He says their colleagues in Iraq are hunting down
terrorists and helping the Iraqi people build a working democracy in
the heart of the Middle East. It is a mission that the president says
would be compromised by bringing troops home too soon.

"So long as I am Commander-in-Chief, our strategy in Iraq will be
driven by the sober judgment of our military commanders on the
ground," he said. "We will fight the terrorists in Iraq. We will stay
in the fight until we have achieved the victory our brave troops have
fought for."

More than 2,000 Americans have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led
invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

The mounting death toll and continuing insurgency have increased calls
by some Democrats to get U.S. troops out of Iraq.







John MurthaA senior Democratic leader on defense issues joined that
call this past week, saying the military has accomplished its mission
in Iraq and its duty is done. Congressman John Murtha said U.S. troops
have become a catalyst for violence as the primary targets of
insurgents in Iraq. The war is not going as advertised, he said,
calling it a flawed policy wrapped in illusion.

President Bush did not mention Congressman Murtha by name during his
remarks here in South Korea, but White House officials have launched a
blistering rebuke of the Vietnam War veteran.

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said it is baffling that
the Pennsylvania lawmaker is now endorsing the policies of the extreme
liberal wing of the Democratic Party, saying a troop withdrawal would
be surrendering to terrorists on the eve of historic democratic
elections next month in Iraq.


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