- "Bush was at his ranch in Texas on Sunday and made
no comment after a guerrilla attack on a U.S. helicopter in Iraq killed
15 soldiers."
-
- CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters)
-- The triumphal post-war glow in which President Bush once taunted Iraqi
militants by saying "bring them on" has faded to a grim determination
against a resistance growing more deadly.
-
- "It's getting worse, in the sense that, as today
... We've seen a much more sophisticated use of improvised explosive devices
against coalition forces," the top U.S. civil administrator in Iraq,
Paul Bremer, said on CNN's "Late Edition" on Sunday.
-
- But the Bush administration vowed that it will not retreat,
and Bush continues to cite his Iraq policy as an accomplishment despite
accusations of a widening "credibility gap."
-
- Bush was at his ranch in Texas on Sunday and made no
comment after a guerrilla attack on a U.S. helicopter in Iraq killed 15
soldiers.
-
- The attack was the single deadliest strike since the
United States invaded Iraq in March to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
In two other incidents on Sunday, a U.S. soldier and two civilian contractors
were killed, making the day's death toll the highest since Bush stood under
a "mission accomplished" banner and declared major combat over
on May 1.
-
- The president's low profile on Sunday was in contrast
to his defiance in July, when he said Americans occupying Iraq could handle
attacks by resistance fighters.
-
- "Bring them on. We have the force necessary to deal
with the situation," he said in July.
-
- White House spokesman Trent Duffy delivered the White
House reaction to the helicopter's downing, telling reporters "we
mourn the loss" of all those who have died in service.
-
- However, he said, "Our will and our resolve are
unshakable. We will prevail in this critical front in the war on terror
because the stakes are too high to do anything less."
-
- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on ABC's "This
Week" called the attack a "tragic day."
-
- "CREDIBILITY GAP"
-
- Public confidence in the administration's handling of
Iraq has faded, polls show, and Democratic presidential candidates have
sharpened their criticism of Bush over Iraq.
-
- "There is a widening credibility gap between what
the administration says is going on in Iraq and what is actually going
on in Iraq," said David Sirota, a spokesman for the liberal think
tank Center for American Progress.
-
- The administration last month launched a campaign to
break through a media "filter" and promote positive news of Iraq's
occupation, even as Rumsfeld in a private memo was predicting a "long,
hard slog" in Afghanistan and Iraq.
-
- Bush last week sought to distance himself from the "mission
accomplished" image. He said the banner had been placed by the crew
of the aircraft carrier on which he spoke, although the White House later
acknowledged it helped produce it. Bush also said he had always warned
Iraq was a "dangerous place."
-
- Sirota said Bush must "start leveling with the American
people" over Iraq and replace his current policy with one based on
drawing more help from other countries.
-
- But Bush is gearing up to run for re-election on his
Iraq policy, and crowds at his fund-raising events and Republican political
rallies last week cheered when he cited Saddam's ouster.
-
- He said last week he would defend his Iraq policy in
the coming campaign. "I'll say that the world is more peaceful and
more free under my leadership, and America is more secure."
-
- Sirota said, "If they (the Bush administration)
think that this is a winning national security or a winning political strategy
they are completely and totally out of touch with what is going on the
ground in Iraq."
-
- Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited
without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable
for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance
thereon.
-
- http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=2ZL1SGRPPAOSSCRBAELCFEY?
type=reutersEdge&storyID=3739158
|
