Protests Mark Bush Visit To Indonesia

President George W. Bush withheld judgment Monday on rival calls to beef up or scale down U.S. troops in Iraq, and said angry protests in Indonesia against his Mideast policy were a healthy sign of democracy in the heavily Muslim nation.

Facing growing disapproval at home for the Iraq war, Mr. Bush, visiting Indonesia, encountered no criticism or demands for troop cuts from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The Indonesian leader said the "global community must be also responsible in solving the problems in Iraq," along with the United States.

"I haven't made any decisions about troop increases or troop decreases, and won't until I hear from a variety of sources," Mr. Bush replied, standing alongside Yudhoyono at a news conference in the presidential palace.

Asked specifically whether there were any risks in enlarging the U.S. troop presence, Mr. Bush said, "There's no need to comment on something that may not happen. But if it were to happen, I will tell you the upsides and downside."

Indonesia was the last foreign stop on Mr. Bush's eight-day, post-election journey that also took him to Singapore and then Vietnam.

Mr. Bush spent three days in Vietnam for an economic summit of 21 Pacific Rim nations, and while the White House said it was pleased with what it accomplished, the president did not get all he had hoped for from his Asian partners, reports CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante.

For example, South Korea gave only partial support to sanctions against North Korea and Asian leaders downplayed pressure on the North to return to disarmament talks. Mr. Bush also pushed Russia and China to get a resolution condemning Iran's nuclear program with little, visible progress.

There were heightened concerns for Mr. Bush's safety in Indonesia after police warned of an increased risk of attack by al Qaeda-linked militants. Mr. Bush is widely disliked in the country because of strong U.S. support for Israel and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Several thousand people marched to the main mosque in the capital, Jakarta, early Monday, some carrying posters showing victims of violence in the Iraq and Palestinian territories as others unfurled a banner calling Bush a terrorist and war criminal. On Sunday, about 13,000 protesters turned out in Jakarta.

"People protest, that's a good sign," Mr. Bush said. "It's a sign of a healthy society."

Countering arguments about his goal to advance freedom in the Middle East, he said that "to say spreading democracy is anti-religious — it's the opposite of that. Democracy means you can worship any way you choose, freely.'

Yudhoyono said any long-term solution in Iraq should involve a national reconciliation, the strengthening of Iraq's government and the involvement of other countries. "We have to involve all those three solutions before the United States can determine what the possible policies" should be for withdrawal from Iraq, he said.

Mr. Bush's visit was limited to about six hours in the hill town of Bogor, about 45 miles south of Jakarta. Thousands of police and rifle-toting soldiers patrolled the streets near the presidential palace.

Before an elegant dinner, Mr. Bush and his wife, Laura, stopped by a mock classroom in a tent on the palace grounds to showcase U.S. aid for education programs in Indonesia. Chatting with youngsters, Mr. Bush was asked about his favorite hobby as a kid.

"Baseball. I liked baseball. That was my hobby — sports," he said, before reaching for a more inspirational answer. "The best thing I did was to learn how to read."

The president returns home to a growing debate about the war, now in its fourth year with a U.S. death toll of more than 2,860. McCain on Sunday called for sending in 20,000 more U.S. troops to curb rising sectarian violence. Mr. Bush noted that Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was at work on a thorough review of options for Iraq.

The two leaders said that in addition to Iraq and the broader Middle East, they discussed nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, alternative energy sources, avian flu, and educational issues.

"You lead a large and diverse nation with a very bright future," Mr. Bush told Yudhoyono.

Indonesia has been hit by a string of terrorist attacks targeting Western interests since 2002, including nightclub and restaurant bombings on the resort island of Bali and blasts at the Australian Embassy and the J.W. Marriott Hotel in the capital.

More than 240 people were killed, many of them foreign tourists. The attacks were blamed on the Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah. While the group has been crippled by hundreds of arrests in recent years, one of its alleged leaders and most deadly operatives, Noordin Top, remains at large.

The president arrived in Bogor by helicopter in a slashing rain. Rather than spend the night in Indonesia, Mr. Bush left Monday night for Hawaii, where he was set to have breakfast with U.S. troops on Tuesday, and to drop by the U.S. Pacific Command.

He will be back in Washington on Wednesday.