Bush picks historic site to tout Iraqi vote (Philly)

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Bush picks historic site to tout Iraqi vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush is using a visit to Philadelphia, birthplace of the U.S. Constitution, as a reminder before the Iraqi elections that the path to American democracy was not always easy either.

Pennsylvania also is the home state of a leading Iraq war critic, Democratic Rep. John Murtha, who planned to speak on Bush’s heels and repeat his call to bring the troops home from a fight he says has become too violent and out of control.

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Iraqis are preparing to vote under tight security to elect a 275-member parliament that will run the country for the next four years. The election will be the first under the new constitution ratified in an Oct. 15 referendum and will complete the steps toward democratization following the ouster of Saddam Hussein’s government.

Monday’s Iraq speech is Bush’s third, part of a campaign to win support for the mission, with most Americans saying in polls that they disapprove of his handling of the war. The final address in the series is planned for Wednesday in Washington.