WASHINGTON – President Bush asserted Sunday night the United States is winning the war in Iraq and issued a plea to Americans divided by doubt: “Do not give up on this fight for freedom.”
In a prime-time address from the Oval Office, Bush acknowledged setbacks and sacrifice and cautioned there would be more violence and death in the months ahead.
“Some look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude that the war is lost, and not worth another dime or another day,” Bush said. “I don’t believe that. Our military commanders don’t believe that. Our troops in the field, who bear the burden and make the sacrifice, do not believe that America has lost. And not even the terrorists believe it.”
Struggling to build confidence in his policy, the president held out hopes for withdrawing American forces as Iraqi troops gain strength and experience.
But he also repeated his warnings against a rapid withdrawal from Iraq, saying “to retreat before victory would be an act of recklessness and dishonor, and I will not allow it.”
The 15-minute Oval Office address capped a recent campaign by the White House to recover the political ground lost since U.S. forces invaded Iraq in March 2003.
As he has in the past three weeks, Bush acknowledged missteps and setbacks and took responsibility for ordering the invasion based on faulty intelligence.
“I know that some of my decisions have led to terrible loss, and not one of those decisions has been taken lightly,” he said. “I know that this war is controversial, yet being your president requires doing what I believe is right and accepting the consequences.”
But, he said, “Not only can we win the war in Iraq, we are winning the war in Iraq.”
He said there were only two options for the United States: victory or defeat.
“And the need for victory is larger than any president or political party, because the security of our people is in the balance. I do not expect you to support everything I do, but tonight I have a request: Do not give in to despair and do not give up on this fight for freedom.”
Bush said the grim news that Americans see on television about the violence and bloodshed “proves that the war is difficult. It does not mean that we are losing. Behind the images of chaos that terrorists create for the cameras, we are making steady gains with a clear objective in view.”
The president said more than 126 Iraqi combat battalions are now engaged in “fighting the enemy,” and “more than 50 are taking the lead.”
An Iraqi battalion includes about 600 men. So Bush’s estimate of 126 Iraqi battalions in combat would add up to almost 76,000 men, a little less than half the number of U.S. troops in Iraq.
“When we say ‘in the lead,’ we mean putting them in charge, still with our transition teams and still with our enabling support,” Army Gen. George Casey, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, told reporters last week. “So it’s different than being operating totally independently.”
Only one Iraqi battalion is currently listed at “Level One,” capable of fully independent operations, officials said. The 50 battalions Bush cited are listed at “Level Two.”
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