Bush Stays The Course On Iraq

Congressional Opposition Unmoved By President's Arguments For Continued Military Involvement

(CBS/AP) 
Mr. Bush acknowledged that Iraq's government has failed to meet goals for political reconciliation and security. A new assessment to be released Friday by the White House will underscore that point.

The latest conclusions largely track a comparable assessment in July, the White House said. The earlier report said the Iraqi government had made satisfactory gains toward eight benchmarks, unsatisfactory marks on eight and mixed results on the rest. A senior administration official said Thursday that only one of the benchmarks has moved from unsatisfactory to satisfactory: enacting and implementing legislation to allow former lower-ranking members of hanged President Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to hold government positions.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report had not been made public, pointed to the tentative Aug. 26 power-sharing agreement among leading Iraqi politicians that outlined major terms on several issues, including changes in a law that prevented many former Baath Party members from holding government jobs and elected office.

"Yet Iraq's national leaders are getting some things done," Mr. Bush contended. He said the Baghdad government has passed a budget and is sharing oil revenues among the provinces even though legislation has not been approved. Changes that have begun to take hold in the provinces must be followed in Baghdad, he said.

Reporting what was shared at a preview before tonight's speech, hosted by the president and vice president at the White House on Thursday, Couric said President Bush described Nouri al-Maliki as being a "work in progress" and told reporters that the embattled Iraqi prime minister had stepped up to the place more recently, though his ability to reach across party lines is still suspect.

On Friday, Mr. Bush plans to reinforce his message in a visit to the Marine base in Quantico, Va., just outside Washington.

President Bush's claims of security progress were jarred by the assassination of a Sunni sheik who revolted against al Qaeda and fought alongside Americans.

Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, the most prominent figure in a U.S.-backed revolt of Sunni sheiks against al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed Thursday by a bomb, dramatizing the danger faced by people who cooperate with coalition forces.

"This is a sheik who was one of the first to come forward to want to work with the United States to repel al Qaeda from al-Anbar Province," said White House spokeswoman Perino. "Remember, al Qaeda was killing some of the sheiks' children and put them in a cooler to deliver to the sheiks."

"This is the kind of enemy we're dealing with," she said.

Bush had met with the sheik 10 days ago during a visit to Anbar province. Bush said that after the sheik's death, a fellow Sunni leader pledged to continue working with the United States.

"And as they do," the president said, "they can count on the continued support of the United States."

He said Anbar, once considered lost to al Qaeda, shows what can happen across Iraq. "They show al Qaeda that it cannot count on popular support, even in a province its leaders once declared their home base."

Bush said he had directed Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, to report to Congress in March with their next assessment of developments in Iraq and the level of U.S. troops needed to handle security.

"Americans want our country to be safe and our troops to begin coming home from Iraq," Bush said. He said his strategy would permit "people on opposite sides of this difficult debate to come together."

Polls show that Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of Bush's handling of the war, which has claimed the lives of more than 3,700 U.S. troops and cost about a half trillion dollars. His approval rating - both for his handling of Iraq and for his overall performance - stood at 33 percent in an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Thursday.

In his speech, Bush directed specific messages to different audiences.

To Congress, he sought support for Petraeus' recommendations on troop levels.

To Iraqis, he said, "You must demand that your leaders make the tough choices needed to achieve reconciliation."

To Iraq's neighbors, he said efforts by Iran and Syria to undermine the government in Baghdad must end and that "the violent extremists who target Iraq are also targeting you."

To the international community, he appealed for help in revitalizing Iraq's economy and support for an expanded mission of the United Nations in Iraq.

To U.S. military personnel, intelligence officers, diplomats and civilians on the front line, he said, "You have done everything America has asked of you."