Washington – The Bush administration today will launch a public-relations counteroffensive against critics of the Iraq war, hoping to stem fast-eroding public support for the war and restore confidence in the president’s ability to bring the conflict to a successful conclusion.
In an address at the U.S. Naval Academy this morning, President Bush will speak about the new strength of Iraqi military forces, even naming individual Iraqis who have contributed to the fighting, according to a White House official. Bush will focus on “the ability of Iraqi forces to defend themselves and their country,” the primary prerequisite for reducing the number of U.S. forces, the official said.
Bush’s speech, with its emphasis on the improved fighting capabilities of Iraqi troops, is viewed by analysts as an attempt to offer evidence that the administration has a viable plan for Iraq.
But the experts also see the speech as a signal that the White House has concluded it must take a calculated risk – that the highly suspect Iraqi military can now become the main protective force for the federal government in Baghdad. That assessment is widely disputed by military specialists.
Tuesday morning, Bush was in El Paso, at the front lines of the fight to deter illegal immigration, where he took a tour along the Rio Grande to emphasize his message that he intends to strengthen the border.
His remarks continued a marked shift from his early emphasis on ensuring a way for businesses to employ illegal immigrants temporarily, to a focus on keeping illegal immigrants out.
“We’re going to prevent people from coming here in the first place,” Bush said.
The president’s change in emphasis has been driven by the politics of the issue as Congress prepares to take up legislation addressing border security and immigration. Conservatives in his own party are far more focused on deterring the flow over the border than on providing a stable labor pool for businesses.
The timing of the administration’s move, analysts believe, is based in part on the need to counter domestic political pressure and shore up Bush’s sagging poll numbers. But they say it also is motivated by the need to head off two potentially greater risks: a loss of public and congressional backing so precipitous that it might compel a politically devastating hasty pullout and the need to prevent the serious damage to America’s all-volunteer military that could occur with an open-ended commitment in Iraq.
The New York Times contributed to this report.
