Fort Irwin, Calif. – President Bush said Wednesday that he knows the nation is weary of war and wondering if the U.S. can win.
Still, he said efforts to pull troops home from Iraq would make the U.S. more vulnerable to attack from an enemy that is “pure evil.”
“The enemy does not measure the conflict in Iraq in terms of timetables,” Bush said to soldiers here, a reference to congressional Democrats’ plans for withdrawal.
“A strategy that encourages this enemy to wait us out is dangerous – dangerous for our troops, dangerous for our security,” Bush said. “And it’s not going to become law.”
While speaking to troops at Fort Irwin, where more combat units are preparing to deploy to Iraq, Bush was trying to keep public pressure on Democrats. The House and Senate have approved war-funding bills that would establish timelines for U.S. troops’ withdrawal from the 4-year-old conflict.
“It’s a tough war,” Bush said. “The American people are weary of this war. They’re wondering whether or not we can succeed. They’re horrified by the suicide bombing they see.”
Yet Bush used a horrific tale in Iraq – one in which terrorists put children in a car to get through a checkpoint, then exploded the vehicle – to describe why he won’t pull back.
“It makes me realize the nature of the enemy we face, which hardens my resolve to protect the American people,” Bush said. “People who do that are not – it’s not a civil war, it is pure evil. And I believe we have an obligation to protect ourselves from that evil.”
Bush then left the Mojave Desert for the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles. There, at the home of friend Brad Freeman, he hoped to raise $2.2 million for the Republican National Committee before flying to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, for Easter.
