Says US must prevent oil fields from falling into hands of terrorists
President Bush answered growing antiwar protests yesterday with a fresh
reason for US troops to continue fighting in Iraq: protection of the
country's vast oil fields, which he said would otherwise fall under the
control of terrorist extremists.
The president, standing against a backdrop of the USS Ronald Reagan,
the newest aircraft carrier in the Navy's fleet, said terrorists would
be denied their goal of making Iraq a base from which to recruit
followers, train them, and finance attacks.
''We will defeat the
terrorists," Bush said. ''We will build a free Iraq that will fight
terrorists instead of giving them aid and sanctuary."
Appearing at Naval Air Station North Island to commemorate the
anniversary of the Allies' World War II victory over Japan, Bush
compared his resolve to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's in the 1940s
and said America's mission in Iraq is to turn it into a democratic ally
just as the United States did with Japan after its 1945 surrender.
Bush's V-J Day ceremony did not fall on the actual anniversary. Japan
announced its surrender on Aug. 15, 1945 -- Aug. 14 in the United
States because of the time difference.
Democrats said Bush's leadership falls far short of Roosevelt's.
''Democratic
Presidents Roosevelt and Truman led America to victory in World War II
because they laid out a clear plan for success to the American people,
America's allies, and America's troops," said Howard Dean, Democratic
Party chairman. ''President Bush has failed to put together a plan, so
despite the bravery and sacrifice of our troops, we are not making the
progress that we should be in Iraq. The troops, our allies, and the
American people deserve better leadership from our commander in chief."
The speech was Bush's third in just over a week defending his Iraq
policies, as the White House scrambles to counter growing public
concern about the war. But the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina
in the Gulf Coast drew attention away; the White House announced during
the president's remarks that he was cutting his August vacation short
to return to Washington, D.C., to oversee the federal response effort.
After
the speech, Bush hurried back to Texas ahead of schedule to prepare to
fly back to the nation's capital today. He was to return to the White
House on Friday, after spending more than four weeks operating from his
ranch in Crawford.
Bush's August break has been marked by problems in Iraq.
It has been an especially deadly month there for US troops, with the
number of those who have died since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003
now nearing 1,900.
The growing death toll has become a regular
feature of the slightly larger protests that Bush now encounters
everywhere he goes -- a movement boosted by a vigil set up in a field
down the road from the president's ranch by a mother grieving the loss
of her soldier son in Iraq.
Cindy Sheehan arrived in Crawford
only days after Bush did, asking for a meeting so he could explain why
her son and others are dying in Iraq. The White House refused, and
Sheehan's camp turned into a hub of activity for hundreds of activists
around the country demanding that troops be brought home.
This
week, the administration also had to defend the proposed constitution
produced in Iraq at US urging. Critics fear the impact of its rejection
by many Sunnis, and say it fails to protect religious freedom and
women's rights.
At the naval base, Bush declared, ''We will not
rest until victory is America's and our freedom is secure" from Al
Qaeda and its forces in Iraq led by Abu Musab alZarqawi.
''If
Zarqawi and [Osama] bin Laden gain control of Iraq, they would create a
new training ground for future terrorist attacks," Bush said. ''They'd
seize oil fields to fund their ambitions. They could recruit more
terrorists by claiming a historic victory over the United States and
our coalition."
President Bush answered growing antiwar protests yesterday with a fresh
reason for US troops to continue fighting in Iraq: protection of the
country's vast oil fields, which he said would otherwise fall under the
control of terrorist extremists.
