Bush Admits Iraq Setbacks, Missteps

More than three years after sending their troops to invade Iraq, President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair cannot escape questions about their decision to go to war even as they acknowledge far-reaching mistakes.

Defensive when they would prefer to celebrate the recent political success in Baghdad, the trans-Atlantic allies reflected on the price of overthrowing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

In a joint news conference Thursday night that had a somber tone, Mr. Bush acknowledged the bloodshed has been difficult for the world to understand. Blair called the violence "ghastly."

But, Mr. Bush said at the White House, "Despite setbacks and missteps, I strongly believe we did and are doing the right thing."

Those missteps include the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, though Mr. Bush said those responsible have been jailed. More personally, the president said, he learned not to use so much "tough talk," saying Osama bin Laden was wanted "dead or alive" and challenging America's enemies to "bring it on." This was an "extraordinary" admission from a president who is not normally known for public self-analysis, CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante reports.

"I learned some lessons about expressing myself maybe in a little more sophisticated manner, you know," Mr. Bush said softly.

Blair said the leaders did not accurately predict immense challenges such as the strength of the insurgency. "It should have been very obvious to us," the prime minister said.

The press conference came after Mr. Bush and Blair had a private meeting and ended when the two left for dinner upstairs in the president's residence.

Blair was continuing his Washington visit Friday with a speech at Georgetown University and a private lunch with Mr. Bush before heading home.

Blair briefed the president on his discussions in Baghdad on Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who said his forces are capable of taking control of security in all provinces within 18 months. Iraq's new government was installed last week.

"I think it's possible to happen in the way that Prime Minister Maliki said," Blair said. "For that to happen, obviously, the first thing that we need is a strong government in Baghdad that is prepared to enforce its writ throughout the country. My very strong feeling, having talked to the leaders there, is that they intend theirs to be such a government."

Neither Mr. Bush nor Blair would give specifics on when soldiers from their countries can begin to go home, but the president has always said when Iraqi troops stand up, American and coalition troops will stand down, Plante reports.

"We're going to work with our partners in Iraq, the new government, to determine the way forward," Mr. Bush said. He said the goal remains "an Iraq that can govern itself and sustain itself and defend itself."

He said one problem was the lack of an Iraqi defense minister, and he urged Maliki to fill the post soon.

Mr. Bush declined to discuss news reports that the Pentagon hoped that the U.S. force, now at 131,000 troops, could be reduced to about 100,000 by year's end.

"We'll keep the force level there necessary to win," Mr. Bush said.

General George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told CBS News' The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith the reduction in troops has already begun. "We had two brigades right before Christmas that didn't come into Iraq, and my troop levels are under 130,000," Casey said. "It was about 160,000 at the time of the election, so we have already begun the process of a gradual reduction in coalition forces as Iraqi capabilities continue to grow."

Casey also told Smith that when Iraqis reach their goal of creating a better country than they had under Saddam Hussein's rule, "Iraq will be secure, the region will be more secure, and the United States will be more secure."

Britain has about 8,000 troops in Iraq. Blair said the goal remains that Iraqi security forces could "take control progressively of their own country."

On another topic high on the agenda, neither Mr. Bush nor Blair would reveal his thinking on possible incentives to draw Iran back to negotiations over its suspected nuclear weapons program.

"Of course, we'll look at all options. But it's their choice right now, they're the ones who walked away from the table," Mr. Bush said. "I think we ought to be continuing to work on ways to make it clear to them that they will be isolated."

Mr. Bush was dismissive of recent back-channel overtures from Tehran, including a letter to him from Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Bush said he read the letter. "I thought it was interesting," he said.

But, he added, the Iranian leader "didn't address the issues of whether or not they're going to continue to press for a nuclear weapon. That's the issue at hand."