Bush Says War in Iraq Isn't Cause of Rising Terrorism

Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush, confronting criticism of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, said the conflict there hasn't spurred the spread of terrorism and a withdrawal won't end the threat from violent extremists. With the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq approaching 2,000 and public support for the war declining, Bush told a gathering of military spouses today that radicals were spreading their ideology before the March 2003 invasion and will ``exist after Iraq is no longer an excuse.''

``Some have argued that extremism has been strengthened by the actions of our coalition in Iraq, claiming that our presence in that country has somehow caused or triggered the rage of radicals,'' Bush said at a luncheon for more than 500 wives of military officers at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington. ``I would remind them that we were not in Iraq on Sept. 11.'' ...

Americans increasingly are questioning the wisdom of the U.S.-led invasion. For the first time, a majority of Americans in a Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive poll said going to war in Iraq was a mistake, the Journal reported today. The 53 percent who held that view marked an increase from 49 percent in September and 43 percent a year ago. The online poll of 1,833 adults taken Oct. 11-17 has an error margin of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

For Iraq there will be ``no peace without victory,'' Bush said. If the U.S. backs down the extremists will have a base of operations from which to spread their violent ideology, he said. The president also renewed his warning to Syria and Iran, countries that he said are ``allies of convenience'' with Islamic radicals and seek ``to blame their own failures on the West, on America and on the Jews.'' Syria and its leaders, he said, ``must be held accountable'' for supporting terrorism and for any involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=adu...

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Yeah, right. What a freakin' liar.