Bush seeks to rally US troops in Iraq
Foreign Desk Report

WASHINGTON—President Bush sought to rally US troops in Iraq ahead of Saturday’s vote on new constitution on Thursday, saying the “enemy understands that a free Iraq would be a blow to their vision”.
“We put in motion something that can’t be stopped, and that is the march of freedom,” Bush said in a video conference with soldiers from the Army’s 42nd Infantry Division, based in Tikrit, hometown of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Bush spoke two days before Iraqis vote on a new constitution. A compromise endorsed on Wednesday by the Iraqi parliament made key concessions to minority Sunni Arabs, increasing the chances that the document will be approved. Passage of the constitution would open the way to national elections in December.
“We’re never going to back down, we’re never going to give in, we’ll never accept anything less than total victory,” Bush said. “Thank you for all your work. When you get back to the United States, if I’m hanging around, come by and say hello”.
The President engaged in a question and answer sessions with 10 American servicemen and women and one Iraqi soldier, whom he saw on a large video screen set up in a room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House.
“Do the Iraqis want to fight, and are they capable of fighting?” he asked. He was told they were. Capt. Stephen Pratt, from Pocatello, Idaho, told Bush, “The Iraqi army and police services, along with coalition support, have conducted many and multiple exercises and rehearsals. It was impressive to me to see the cooperation and the communication that took place among the Iraqi forces. Along with the coalition backing them, we’ll have a very successful and effective referendum vote”.
1st Lt. Gregg Murphy told the president that at last January’s elections to select an interim government, “We had to lead the way. This time, they’re doing everything. ... They’ve got it laid out.” And while polls show declining support for the war, Bush told the soldiers: “You’ve got tremendous support” among Americans.
“We need to stay on the offense, and we need to stay on the offense with well-trained Iraqi forces,” the president said. “You’ve got to know, the American people are standing strong with you,” Bush said.
Capt. David Williams of Los Angeles told Bush that voter registration was up 17 percent in north-central Iraq, meaning 400,000 new voters. “The Iraqi people are ready and eager to vote in this referendum,” he said.
“The mission you are on is vital to achieving peace and protecting America,” Bush said. He said that insurgents seeking to disrupt the elections “stand for a vision that doesn’t believe in freedom”.
“We are facing an enemy that is ruthless and cold blooded,” Bush said. US officials have predicted a spike in violence ahead of Saturday’s vote.
Bush said that in Iraq, the United States and its allies are facing “an enemy that actually has a philosophy”. “And the philosophy is so opposite of ours. It is the exact opposite of what America stands for. We stand for religious freedom and freedom to speak and women’s rights and capacity for people to realize their dreams.
“They stand for a vision that doesn’t believe in freedom; that if you don’t agree with their narrow point of view, that you’re subject to reprisal,” Bush added. He reiterated his contention that the conflict in Iraq is part of a broader war against terrorism. “Iraq is a part of the war because the enemy understands that a free Iraq will be a blow to their vision and their strategy of spreading dominance throughout the broader Middle East,” he said.