Bush Alone in Insisting “Nothing Wrong with Iraq War”

Bush Alone in Insisting “Nothing Wrong with Iraq War”. October. 30, 2003 22:39. by Rae-Jeong Park ecopark@donga.com.

“The world is more peaceful and freer under my leadership.”

U.S. President George W. Bush made this remark to reporters at the White House on October 29, while stating “my re-election campaign has not yet begun.” This news conference was prepared with the intention of putting a halt to the rapidly growing criticism for the policy on Iraq due to the synchronized suicide bombings in Iraq.

“I will defend my record (regarding Iraq) at the appropriate time, and look forward to it," Bush said, adding, "I`ll say (during my campaign) that the world is more peaceful and freer under my leadership, and America is more secured."

Showing an optimistic view, Bush also said, “I’m not worried that the Americans` patience will run out as the death toll increases, even if it continues to increase during the election year.” This perception of reality shows a wide gap with recent opinion poll results.

On October 29, New York Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton directly criticized the administration saying, “The world has become more confusing because the Bush administration divides the world into two: the good and the evil, our enemies and our allies”. At a conference held by the Center for American Progress (CAP) this day, the senator strongly condemned the administration saying, “The Bush administrations’ secretiveness regarding the intelligence on the September 11 attacks and the Iraq war is shaking the very fundamentals of America’s democracy.”

On October 27, when the International Committee of the Red Cross and four police stations in Baghdad underwent synchronized bombings, Bush insisted, “American successes in Iraq are spurring the violence by making insurgents more desperate.” He interpreted the intensified terrorist acts to be counterevidence that situations in Iraq have improved. This statement was scoffed by Democrats and the media who pointed out that it showed a “shortage in his perception of reality.”

The recent increase in the death toll for US soldiers has also put the catchphrase “Mission Accomplished” under fire, which was used on May 1, when President Bush announced the end of the Iraq war.