(Australian) Rudd rebuffs Bush on Iraq

The age.com.au
Michelle Grattan, Adam Morton and Brendan Nicholson
OPPOSITION Leader Kevin Rudd has rebuffed US President George Bush's intervention in domestic politics by refusing to bend on the ALP's commitment to pull troops out of Iraq.
In pointed remarks before his Australian visit, President Bush told reporters he would tell Mr Rudd that an early withdrawal of Australian troops would be disastrous. He said the decision should be made on the basis of conditions on the ground, claiming there were strong signs the US was making headway.
"I'm going to remind him that, one, the stakes in Iraq are very high for peace; that the liberation of a country (and) Iraqi-style democracy in the heart of the Middle East is part of winning this ideological struggle," he said in an interview with journalists from the region.
"And I'll remind him that, as far as I'm concerned, leaving Iraq before the job is done will cause an enemy that attacked us before to become emboldened."
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