Bush Voices Support For Iraqi PM

Seeks To Correct Impression That He's Backing Away From Al-Maliki

(CBS/AP)  President Bush, scrambling to show he has not abandoned Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, offered a fresh endorsement on Wednesday.

"Prime Minister Maliki's a good guy, good man with a difficult job and I support him," Mr. Bush said in a speech to military veterans.

"And it's not up to the politicians in Washington, D.C., to say whether he will remain in his position," Mr. Bush said. "It is up to the Iraqi people who now live in a democracy and not a dictatorship."

The president went out of his way to embrace Iraq's prime minister today, reports CBS News White House correspondent Bill Plante. But yesterday, Mr. Bush seemed to be distancing himself from al-Maliki.

On Tuesday, Mr. Bush had offered a tepid endorsement of the Iraqi government, expressing frustration at the lack of progress and saying it was up to the Iraqi people to decide whether to replace those in power. The remark brought an angry response from al-Maliki who said, "No one has the right to place timetables on the Iraq government. It was elected by its people."

The White House set out to reframe Mr. Bush's comment and the way it was interpreted.

National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the president's words were not intended to signal a withdrawal of support for al-Maliki. As a result of the heavy media coverage of his remarks at the North American summit in Canada, Mr. Bush decided to insert a direct line of support for al-Maliki in his speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars conference.

"Prime Minister Maliki knows where the president stands," Johndroe told reporters ahead of Mr. Bush's speech. The spokesman said that after Bush's comments in Canada, the White House had tried to make clear Bush was not distancing himself from Maliki.

Mr. Bush's expression of support for al-Maliki came in a speech arguing the case for remaining in Iraq despite doubts and frustrations.

"As long as I am commander in chief we will fight to win," he said to heavy applause from the Veterans of Foreign Wars conference. "I'm confident that we will prevail."

"Our troops are seeing the progress that is being made on the ground," Mr. Bush said. "And as they take the initiative from the enemy, they have a question: `Will their elected leaders in Washington pull the rug out from under them just as they are gaining momentum and changing the dynamic on the ground in Iraq?' Here's my answer: We'll support our troops, we'll support our commanders, and we will give them everything they need to succeed.

When they met in Jordan last November, the president called al-Maliki "the right guy for Iraq." Now, he continually prods al-Maliki to do more to forge political reconciliation before the temporary military buildup ends.

The Iraqi was chafing over this Wednesday.

"Those who make such statements are bothered by our visit to Syria. We will pay no attention. We care for our people and our constitution and can find friends elsewhere," al-Maliki said.

[j-whitman]

Bush couldn''''t paint a victory out of this mess with CorelDraw Graphics Suite

[drummer94]

I guess the congress can get some things accomplished, but it is by no stretch "mission accomplished".... more to come.

[j-whitman]

drummer94,,, On the eavesdropping,,, We owe democrats a heaty WELL DONE for thier achievements - Not bad since only having power since March.
-- It requires FISA court approval to monitor even 2 aliens in the USA & limited the program to only 6 months.

[drummer94]

Thanks j-whitman. Kind of you to say. If I may use artistic license and paraphrase, " I''m not a smart man, but I know what patriotism is ."

[j-whitman]

drummer94,,,, Stinks indeed - People can smell it around the world..... Your a stand up guy & a good American.

[drummer94]

"don''t rule out government censorship" posted by j-whitman. This (that) example is exactly what we were worried about with this surveillance thing. I''m not a terrorist, he11, not even a subversive. Neither are you, from what I read and interpet. First and foremost, I am an American, trying to make sure my reps. do right by me and folks like me. If this changes under any guise that it is called, then my constitution calls for a change. This kinda deal just smells political, and it stinks.

[j-whitman]

mudrose,,, The concept of "They will follow us home & destroy America" -- Was directly from the propaganda of Joesph Goebbels

[j-whitman]

drummer94,,, Don''t rule out government censorship --- Losing Iraq, Bush''s center of his War on Terror as he says..
.. CBS happened to be delivering the news to America since 1917, as compared to Murdoch''s FOX 1996..
.. FOX News was founded in Adelaide, Austria, 1979, became incorporated in New York in 1995 under Murdoch

[j-whitman]

mudrose,,,, Gee Wiz -- Yet you think Bush who ran like a rabbit from active duty & Multi-deferment Cheney are a qualified War Leaders, and a GOP who mostly avoided the draft is some how going to win a Failed War ---- LOL, come on man, get into reality.

[drummer94]

The other story. From "unlikely" to govern to "unable" and comments are gone. So much for liberal cbs, eh mud et al?

[mudrose-2009]

THE STANDARD NEOCON REPUBLICAN SENDING OTHERS KIDS TO FIGHT WHILE THEY ARE SAFE AT HOME!
GO FIGURE!
Posted by bluestardad

Well from now on anyone who serves in Congress and the Senate will have to have their children serve in the military otherwise they will relinquish the right as governing body that gives the Executive war authorizations. If their children don''''t serve, then can no longer be in Congress.
Posted by mudrose

[mudrose-2009]

Cmon mud. You know what b.s.d (have fun with that) meant. It is all of our obligations to serve in a time of national crisis. Whether your name is Jones or (snicker) Bush.
Posted by drummer94

Seems to be the criteria for President these days, that''s all the little whiners complain about so it should hold for the House and the Senate too. Otherwsie they have no right to fund, defund or anything else when it comes to the military.

[drummer94]

Cmon mud. You know what b.s.d (have fun with that) meant. It is all of our obligations to serve in a time of national crisis. Whether your name is Jones or (snicker) Bush.

[mudrose-2009]

THE STANDARD NEOCON REPUBLICAN SENDING OTHERS KIDS TO FIGHT WHILE THEY ARE SAFE AT HOME!
GO FIGURE!
Posted by bluestardad

Well from now on anyone who serves in Congress and the Senate will have to have their children serve in the military otherwise they will relinquish the right as governing body that gives the Executive war authorizations. If their children don''t serve, then can no longer be in Congress.

[mudrose-2009]

Aren''''t you Nazi''''s supposed to say "SIEG HEIL" to each other or has the klan stopped that practice!! ROFLMAO
Posted by MCVet

Well you''re the active member why don''t you tell us what their procedures are not.

[drummer94]

What? You think shrub was gonna bad mouth al-Maliki in front of the VFW? NEVAGONNAHAPPEN. Was interesting though, that loony thought he was playing to a sympathetic crowd, the "applause" he was getting was halted, like he installed some hand clappers to get ''em going. And his attitude was so condencending to each group he spoke to. The WW2 guys, a lot of time on the Korea vets, the ''Nam vets, whom he tried to sell his comparison jive. I don''t think very many was buying his bull.

[realpatriot1]

forthepeople1,

Help me understand, how does any of the info stated in the article help the enemy? You mean if there are thousands of domestic Jihadists and he let them know we only know about hundreds?

I don''t see where anything he revealed has enough specificity to benefit the enemy. It''s not like Brewster & Jennings where the front company was revealed.

It does show a incompetently lax attitude to have to consider the damage after a pre-scheduled interview rather than before.

[pepperp1]

Congress needs to be thoughtful of their next steps and how to remove our country from the quagmire of Iraq. They can not trust Bush as Commander in Chief to remove or redeploy our troops safely and responsibility, just read yesterday speech if you have any doubt as to what he would unleash if challenged by Congress.


This President has displayed time and time again that he can not and does not accept criticism, accept or question that he is wrong, or have the thinking capablity to assess alternatives solutions to complex problems quickly, and also believes God is directing his actions.

There is a real possibility if challenged, told NO by Congress, that Bush with his remaining sycophants at the Pentagon would either by continued incompetence or a self fulfilling prophecy of killing fields, place the Iraqis and our beloved soldiers in reckless harms way.

Unless Congress can ensure a thoughtful competent disentanglement, which I do not believe they can. The real threat we face is a mega tantrum by this flawed petulant President and the destruction he can unleash through passive incompetence and his network of equally incompetent political ideologues in place at the DOD.

The best the Congress may be able to do is wait for a new honorable capable Commander in Chief who will restore the competent Generals discarded by Bush and who can then execute a responsible military entanglement and political solutions.

[prinzowhales]

Vietnam was another war in which we had initially supported our eventual opponent with arms and aid--Ho Chi Minh. America lost 58,000 dead and tens of thousands have been harmed because of this war...what is the lesson?--Today we trade with this country...and within years it had a border war with China...In Cambodia, we supported Pol Pot for Heaven''s sake!

Bush is announcing his support for Diem...I mean, of course, al-Maliki,...that fellow would be wise to double the guard and not go on any more road trips.

[mcvet]

Thanks, buddy, it''''s hard keep up with vipers, er, I mean vapors.
Posted by mudrose at 09:16 AM : Aug 23, 2007

Aren''t you Nazi''s supposed to say "SIEG HEIL" to each other or has the klan stopped that practice!! ROFLMAO