Bush- Americans need patience, Iraqis courage as vote nears

WASHINGTON -- President Bush pleaded for Americans' patience Wednesday on what he conceded was "a very discouraging day" of death and violence for U.S. troops in Iraq. He urged Iraqis to defy terrorist threats and vote in Sunday's elections.

Bush held a White House news conference hours after American troops perished in a helicopter crash and insurgents killed six others.

Unwavering in the course he has set, Bush pledged: "We'll have the troop levels necessary to complete the mission. And that mission is to enable Iraq to defend herself from terrorists -- homegrown or terrorists that come in from outside of the country." He made clear that Iraq is nowhere near ready to handle its own security, and he talked about U.S. involvement over the next year.

Four days before Iraq's elections and a week before his own State of the Union address, the president grappled with pointed questions about the war's heavy price and growing doubts that a stable, democratic Iraq will ever emerge. In money alone, Iraq is costing taxpayers more than $1 billion a week.

Democrats registered their unhappiness with Bush's handling of Iraq in the Senate's 85-13 vote to confirm Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state.

Bush said Americans are not alone in their qualms. Iraqis are "losing a lot of people" in bombings and assassinations, he said, and "some are feeling intimidated" about threats against voters. Moreover, Bush said: "The Iraqi people are wondering whether or not this nation has the will necessary to stand with them as a democracy evolves.

"The enemy would like nothing more than the United States to precipitously pull out and withdraw before the Iraqis are prepared to defend themselves."

It was the 18th full-blown news conference of Bush's presidency and the first of his second term, covering issues ranging from Social Security to questions raised by his inaugural address.

Bush said his inaugural address promising to spread freedom and end tyranny around the world was not intended as a statement of new policy but rather a reflection of the strategy he pursued in his first term. Even some of his supporters have been nervous that it signaled plans for global U.S. intervention. Bush said he has raised human rights concerns with China and will be direct with Russia's Vladimir Putin when they meet next month in Slovakia. "I will remind him that if he intends to continue to look West, we in the West believe in Western values," Bush said.

* The Education Department was wrong to pay conservative commentator Armstrong Williams $240,000 to plug its policies. "I expect my Cabinet secretaries to make sure that that practice doesn't go forward," the president said.

The bloodshed in Iraq and Sunday's elections framed much of the questions of Bush's news conference.

He said he lacked details about the helicopter crash in Iraq's western desert. "The story today is going to be very discouraging to the American people," Bush said. "I understand that. ... But it is the long-term objective that is vital, and that is to spread freedom."

Sunday's elections in Iraq represent a major test for Bush, who has staked his reputation on spreading democracy across the Middle East. "I anticipate a grand moment in Iraqi history," he said.

"We anticipate a lot of Iraqis will vote," the president said. "Clearly there are some who are intimidated."

Asked what would be a credible turnout, Bush pronounced the elections a success even before they happen.

"The fact that they're voting, in itself, is successful," he said. "Again, this is a long process."

Bush said he is leading the United States toward an honorable goal -- in Iraq and across the world. "I firmly planted the flag of liberty," he said.