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Bush estimates 30,000 Iraqis killed in war
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-13 08:36
In a rare, unscripted moment, US President Bush on Monday estimated 30,000
Iraqis have died in the war, the first time he has publicly acknowledged the
high price Iraqis have paid in his push for democracy.
In the midst of a campaign to win support for the unpopular war, Bush
unexpectedly invited questions from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
after a speech asserting that Iraq was making progress despite violence, flawed
elections and other setbacks.
He immediately was challenged about the number of Iraqis who have lost their
lives since the beginning of the war.
"I would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial
incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis," Bush said. "We've lost about
2,140 of our own troops in Iraq."
US President Bush speaks about the upcoming
Iraqi parliamentary election during a visit to Philadelphia, December 12,
2005.[Reuters] | The U.S. military does not
release its tally of Iraqi dead, but there is some consensus from outside
experts that roughly 30,000 is a credible number. White House counselor Dan
Bartlett said Bush was not giving an official figure but simply repeating public
estimates.
Another questioner challenged the administration's linkage of the Iraq war to
the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Bush said Saddam Hussein was a threat and
was widely believed to have weapons of mass destruction 錕斤拷 a belief that later
proved false.
"I made a tough decision. And knowing what I know today, I'd make the
decision again," Bush said. "Removing Saddam Hussein makes this world a better
place and America a safer country."
Monday's speech represented a departure from Bush's standard format where he
speaks before friendly audiences 錕斤拷 often cheering members of the military 錕斤拷 and
does not open himself to questions. He refused to take audience questions after
an Iraq speech before the Council on Foreign Relations last week even though the
group has a tradition of such queries. Bush will make another speech on Iraq on
Wednesday, the last in a series of four addresses leading to Iraq's
parliamentary elections.
Monday's trip brought Bush to the home state of one of his leading critics,
Rep. John Murtha, a Vietnam veteran who had initially supported the war.
Hundreds of anti-war protesters booed and chanted, "Shame, shame!" as the
president's limo passed.
At a reception five blocks from Bush's speech, Murtha said U.S. troops should
be withdrawn. "It's not going to get better with us over there," the congressman
said.
The U.S. government-financed Arabic-language television service, Alhurra,
carried Bush's remarks live, but they were not shown on Al-Jazeera or Al-Arabiya
or any of the Iraqi television stations. Most Iraqis disapprove of the presence
of U.S. forces in their country, yet they are optimistic about Iraq's future and
their own personal lives, according to a new ABC News poll conducted with Time
magazine and other media partners.
"Success will help the image of the United States," Bush said. "Look, I
recognize we got an image issue, particularly when you've got Arabic television
stations 錕斤拷 that are constantly just pounding America, saying `America is
fighting Islam,' `Americans can't stand Muslims,' `This is a war against a
religion.'"
"We've got to, obviously, do a better job of reminding people that ours is
not a nation that rejects religion," he said. "It's difficult. I mean, their
propaganda machine is pretty darn intense, so we're constantly sending out
messages. We're constantly trying to reassure people."
Bush has appointed Karen Hughes, a longtime confidante, as U.S.
undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. Her mission is to reverse
anti-American sentiment around the world.
Separately, the Pentagon has acknowledged paying Iraqi journalists and
newspapers to print favorable articles.
When asked if the threat of terrorism in the United States has been reduced
significantly since the Iraq invasion, Bush said, "I think it's been reduced. I
don't think we're safe. What'll really give me confidence to say that we're safe
is when I can tell the American people we've got the capacity to know exactly
where the enemy is moving."
He said that requires better intelligence gathering and cooperation from
other countries. "The long run in this war is going to require a change of
governments in parts of the world," Bush said.
Part of Bush's strategy to win more American support has been to be more
frank about discussing problems amid the violence in Iraq, without admitting any
of the tactical mistakes that critics from both parties have accused him of
making. He said Monday that there have been "challenges, setbacks and false
starts" but Iraqis are building a lasting democracy.
He spoke out against Iraqi-run prisons where inmates 錕斤拷 mostly members of the
Sunni Arab minority 錕斤拷 were apparently victims of abuse at the hands of
Shiite-dominated security services.
Some prisoners "appeared to have been beaten and tortured," Bush said. "This
conduct is unacceptable and the prime minister and other Iraqi officials have
condemned these abuses. An investigation has been launched, and we support these
efforts. Those who committed these crimes must be held to account."
Asked for an assessment of training of Iraqi troops, Bush said they are
making progress although they still are not able to provide their own
protection.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans a private, though unclassified,
briefing on Iraq for senators Wednesday. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of
Nevada complained the briefing would exclude classified matters. Reid said that
would prevent a frank exchange between senators and Rice.
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