Bush agrees mistakes made in Iraq (also cites Lieberman)

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=84799

Bush agrees mistakes made in Iraq

WASHINGTON - In a rare acknowledgement that Iraq has not gone as planned, US President George W. Bush agreed Wednesday that mistakes had been made but warned that a US withdrawal now would be "a bigger mistake."

"Reconstruction has not always gone as well as we had hoped, primarily because of the security challenges on the ground," he said in formal remarks on Iraq ahead of that war-torn country's elections next week.

Bush cited opposition Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman's support for his Iraq strategy following the lawmaker's trip to see US-led reconstruction and stabilization efforts first-hand.

"The senator says that mistakes have been made. But he goes on to say that he's worried about a bigger mistake," namely a hasty withdrawal, said Bush. "Senator Lieberman is right."

WASHINGTON (AFP) - In a rare acknowledgement that Iraq has not gone as planned, US President George W. Bush agreed that mistakes had been made but warned that a US withdrawal now would be "a bigger mistake."

"Reconstruction has not always gone as well as we had hoped, primarily because of the security challenges on the ground," he said in formal remarks on Iraq ahead of that war-torn country's elections next week.

Bush cited opposition Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman's support for his Iraq strategy following the lawmaker's trip to see US-led reconstruction and stabilization efforts first-hand.

"The senator says that mistakes have been made. But he goes on to say that he's worried about a bigger mistake," namely a hasty withdrawal, said Bush. "Senator Lieberman is right."

The comments came in the second of a series of speeches aiming to reverse a steady slide in support from the US public for his administration's efforts in Iraq, where a deadly insurgency has claimed the lives of some 2,100 US troops.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051207/pl_afp/usiraqbushmistakes