Bush speaks to America

President Bush spoke in his third prime-time news conference since the beginning of his presidency on Tuesday. The focus of the forum was to defend the war in Iraq and answer questions relating to the subject.

The president opened the question-and-answer period with a prepared speech in which he called these recent days "tough weeks," saying that overseas fighters have faced "serious violence," specifically by "three groups."

Bush says that the rebels in Iraq "want to run us out of Iraq and destroy the democratic hopes of the Iraqi people." He later said that "Iraq will either be a peaceful democratic country, or it will again be a source of violence, a haven for territory and a threat to America and the world."

If the rebels in Iraq are not defeated, Bush said, the consequences could be dire. "The consequences of failure in Iraq would be unthinkable. Every friend of America in Iraq would be betrayed to prison and murder as a new tyranny arose. Every enemy of America in the world would celebrate, proclaiming our weakness and decadence and using that victory to recruit a new generation of killers," declared Bush.

Success in Iraq is also vital for maintaining "safety of the American people," Bush said. He also constantly insisted that "a free Iraq is going to be a major blow for terrorism" and that it will "change the world."

In the conference, Bush constantly assured the American people that "we're making progress" and "we're doing the right thing" in Iraq. "There's an historic opportunity here to change the world. And it's very important for the loved ones of our troops to understand that the mission is an important, vital mission for the security of America and for the ability to change the world for the better," he said.

Bush also remarked on his plans for the future and said that he is ready and willing to increase the supply of the military should it be necessary. "If additional forces are needed, I will send them. If additional resources are needed, we will provide them," stated Bush.

The American army is not the only force that will be given more supplies if necessary. Bush said we "need to continue training the Iraqi troops…if they're lacking in equipment, we'll give them equipment. If there needs to be more intense training, we'll get more intense training."

Bush has also set a deadline of June 30 as the day when the Iraqi power will be turned over to the Iraqi government. "On June 30, Iraqi sovereignty will be placed in the Iraqi hands…It requires Iraqis to assume responsibility for their own future," Bush explained.

Bush hopes to "hold elections for a national assembly no later than next January" and wants Iraqis to "then elect a permanent government by Dec. 15, 2005, an event that will mark the completion of Iraq's transition from dictatorship to freedom."

While June 30 will mark the day when Iraqis are finally given their own governing power, it will not be the date that the American presence will diminish from Iraq. "Our commitment to the success and security of Iraq will not end on June 30," declared Bush. "On July 1 and beyond, our reconstruction assistance will continue, and our military commitment will continue. Having helped Iraqis establish a new government, coalition military forces will help Iraqis to protect their government from external aggression and internal subversion."

When asked why the weapons of mass destruction, Bush's prime contention for entering Iraq in the first place, had not been found, Bush replied that he "looks forward to hearing the truth as to exactly where they are" but that he is "of the belief that we'll find out the truth on the weapons."

Bush also said that the oil fields, which were speculated by many critics to be the prime reason why Bush wanted to enter Iraq in the first place, are now being controlled by the Iraqi people. "One of the things I was concerned about, prior to going into Iraq, was that the oil fields would be destroyed, but they weren't," said Bush. "They're now up and running. And that money is – it will benefit the Iraq people. It's their oil, and they'll use it to reconstruct the country."

All quotes were gathered from the transcript of Bush's opening statement and the transcript of the questions and response session that followed.