Bush accuses some Democrats of surrender on Iraq

By Matt Spetalnick

CLAYTON, Missouri (Reuters) – President George W. Bush
accused some Democrats on Wednesday of wanting to “wave the
white flag of surrender” on Iraq, and vowed that American
forces would stay until the mission was complete.

Speaking just over four months before an election in which
Democrats hope to wrest control of Congress from Bush’s
Republicans, the president took a swipe at those Democrats who
are pushing for a timetable for troop withdrawal.

Increasing public disapproval of the Iraq war, in which
over 2,500 U.S. military personnel have died, has contributed
to low popularity ratings for Bush.

“We will complete the mission and I will make my judgments
as to the troop levels necessary to achieve victory, not based
upon political polls or focus groups, but based upon the
measured judgment of our commanders on the ground,” Bush said
at a fund-raiser for Republican Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri.

“Make no mistake about it, there is a group in the
opposition party who are willing to retreat before the mission
is done,” Bush said. “They are willing to wave the white flag
of surrender and if they succeed the United States will be
worse off, and the world will be worse off.”

Bush vowed to “defeat the enemy,” and said the United
States had a plan for victory.

“We’ve got a plan to succeed, a plan for victory, a plan
that will enable a new ally in the war on terror to govern
itself, sustain itself and defend itself,” he said. “The stakes
are vital.”

Bush said he wanted senators like Talent, who understood
that “retreat is not an option” for the United States, to be in
Washington.

Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq,
has drafted a plan for withdrawing American troops, among other
options.

Democrats seized on that earlier this week to criticize
Republicans for accusing them of wanting to “cut and run” in
Iraq while the military was drawing up proposals for troop
reductions.