Bush braces U.S. for sacrifice as protesters gather

By Jeremy Pelofsky

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) – President George W. Bush,
assailed by sagging poll numbers and criticism from anti-war
protesters camped outside his ranch, called on Saturday for
Americans to show resolve and brace for additional sacrifice in
Iraq.

Bush, who personally intervened this week with a key
Shi’ite leader in a bid to broker a deal on Iraq’s
constitution, said Iraqis were “making the tough choices and
compromises necessary for a free and peaceful future.”

With almost 1,900 U.S. troops dead in the Iraq conflict,
Bush is under mounting pressure from critics to finish training
a new Iraqi security force and bring the soldiers home.

Bush supporters and anti-war protesters, including
relatives of soldiers who died in Iraq, were slated to face off
this weekend with rallies near the president’s 1,600-acre
(648-hectare) Crawford ranch, where he has been spending much
of August on vacation.

Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq in April 2004, has
been holding a vigil outside the ranch seeking another meeting
with him to press for the quick withdrawal of U.S. troops. She
will be countered by other soldiers’ families who back the U.S.
action in Iraq.

In his weekly radio address, Bush acknowledged the job for
U.S. soldiers was not yet done.

“Our efforts in Iraq and the broader Middle East will
require more time, more sacrifice and continued resolve,” he
said.

Bush has said withdrawing now would only embolden
insurgents who have sought to derail the drafting of an interim
constitution.

“And when Iraqi forces can defend their freedom by taking
more and more of the fight to the enemy, our troops will come
home with the honor they have earned,” he said.

Bush praised the efforts of Iraqi leaders to agree on
principles to guide their country’s future, despite religious
and other divisions.

“What is important is that Iraqis are now addressing these
issues through debate and discussion — not at the barrel of a
gun,” he said.

Bush’s message was part of renewed push to counter critics
of his Iraq war policy and boost his standing in the polls.

The latest Gallup survey showed that just two in five
Americans approved of the job he was doing while 56 percent
disapproved of his performance.

Compared to other post-World War Two presidents at this
point in their second term, only Richard Nixon had a lower job
approval rating and he was in the midst of the Watergate
scandal, Gallup said. The others were all above 50 percent.