Bush Accepts Blame For Iraq Claim
President Bush on Wednesday took personal responsibility for the first time for using discredited intelligence in his State of the Union address, but predicted he would be vindicated for going to war against Iraq. He also warned of possible new al Qaeda attacks, possibly involving airlines.
"The threat is a real threat," Mr. Bush said during an hour-long news conference at the White House, his first solo appearance before reporters in more than three months.
Despite nearly daily deaths of American troops in postwar Iraq, Mr. Bush declared America was making progress in Iraq. He pointed to the deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons as evidence of that, but admitted that finding Saddam himself is still a huge question mark.
"I don't know how close we are to getting Saddam Hussein. You know, it's closer than we were yesterday, I guess. All I know is we're on the hunt," Mr. Bush said.
He vowed the United States and its allies would "complete our mission in Iraq, We will complete our mission in Afghanistan. ... We will wage the war on terror against every enemy that plots against our people."
At the same time, he accepted blame for his Jan. 28 State of the Union claim that Saddam was shopping for nuclear materials in Africa.
"I take personal responsibility for everything I say, absolutely," Mr. Bush said. Previously, he let CIA Director George Tenet and a national security aide take blame for the controversy.
And he offered a spirited defense of Condoleezza Rice, his national security adviser, who has come under criticism in connection with the speech and events leading to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Mr. Bush called Rice an "honest, fabulous person" and said the United States was lucky to have her in government.
But when asked by CBS News Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts why he took the world to war on what critics say was shaky evidence, Mr. Bush promptly changed the subject.
"A free Iraq will show what is possible in a world that needs freedom, in a part of the world that needs freedom," he said.
The president appealed for patience as Iraqis try to form a new, free society. "I didn't expect Thomas Jefferson to emerge in Iraq in a 90-day period," he said.
He said the United States must sort through "literally miles of documents" to learn the truth of whether Saddam had ties to al Qaeda, as the White House has alleged, and details about its weapons programs.
"We've been there for 90 days,'' he said.
Still, he said, "The war on terror goes on, as I continually remind people."
Asked about a day-old Department of Homeland Security warning of the possibility of hijackings — followed by word of increased screening of certain overseas passengers — Mr. Bush said: "The threat is a real threat."
He said his administration was coordinating its efforts with foreign governments and airlines.
He offered few details, but said, "We do know that al Qaeda tends to use the methodologies that worked in the past. That's kind of their mind-set. And we have got some data that indicates that they would like to use flights, international flights, for example."
"We're focusing on the airline industry right now. And we've got reason to do so. And I'm confident we will thwart the attempts."
Turning to North Korea, Mr. Bush said he had spoken to Chinese President Hu Jintao earlier Wednesday as "part of an ongoing process to encourage him to stay involved" in pressuring Pyongyang to abandon nuclear-weapons ambitions.
Fielding a wide range of questions in the summer heat, Mr. Bush also:
The appearance marked the ninth time since taking office that Mr. Bush has fielded questions at a formal news conference. It was the first since American and British forces invaded Iraq last March.
By comparison, Bill Clinton had held 33 formal news conferences at a comparable point in his administration; Mr. Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, had had 61.