Bush discusses lengthy U.S. presence in Iraq

Question: I'd like to ask you, Mr. President -- your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime.

Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true.  My question is:  Why did you really want to go to war?  From the moment you stepped into the White House, your Cabinet officers, former Cabinet officers, intelligence people and so forth -- but what's your real reason?  You have said it wasn't oil, the quest for oil.  It hasn't been Israel or anything else.  What was it?

President Bush: I think your premise, in all due respect to your question and to you as a lifelong journalist -- that I didn't want war.  To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong, Helen, in all due respect.

Question: And...

President Bush: Hold on for a second, please.  Excuse me.  Excuse me.

No president wants war.  Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true.

My attitude about the defense of this country changed in September the 11th.  When we got attacked, I vowed then and there to use every asset at my disposal to protect the American people.

Our foreign policy changed on that day.  You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy.  But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life.

And I'm never going to forget it.  And I'm never going to forget the vow I made to the American people, that we will do everything in our power to protect our people.

Part of that meant to make sure that we didn't allow people to provide safe haven to an enemy, and that's why I went into Iraq.

(Crosstalk)

President Bush: Hold on for a second.  Excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second.  They did.  The Taliban provided safe haven for Al Qaida.

That's where Al Qaida trained and that's where...

Question: (Off-mike)

President Bush: Helen, excuse me.

That's where -- Afghanistan provided safe haven for Al Qaida. That's where they trained, that's where they plotted, that's where they planned the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans.

I also saw a threat in Iraq.  I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically.  That's why I went to the Security Council.  That's why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed.

And the world said, "Disarm, disclose or face serious consequences."  And therefore, we worked with the world.  We worked to make sure that Saddam Hussein heard the message of the world.

And when he chose to deny the inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did.  And the world is safer for it.

Question: Thank you, sir.  Secretary Rumsfeld...

President Bush: You're welcome.

I didn't really regret it.  I kind of semi-regretted it.

Question: (Inaudible)

President Bush: That's right.

Anyway, your performance at the Gridiron was just brilliant, unlike Holland's which was a little weak.

(Laughter)

Sorry.

Question: Secretary Rumsfeld has said that if civil war should break out in Iraq, he's hopeful that Iraqi forces can handle it.

If they can't, sir, are you willing to sacrifice American lives to keep Iraqis from killing one another?

President Bush: I think the first step is to make sure a civil war doesn't break out.  And that's why we're working with the leaders there in Baghdad to form a unity government.

Obviously, if there is difficulty on the streets, the first line of defense for that difficulty will be the Iraqi forces, which have proved themselves in the face of potential sectarian violence, right after the bombing of the mosque in Samarra.

The forces are -- part of our strategy for victory is to give the forces the skills and the tools and the training necessary to defend their own country, whether it be against Zarqawi and the killers or whether it be those who are trying to spread sectarian violence.  And they have proven themselves.

And so our position is, one, get a unity government formed; and secondly, prepare the Iraqi troops, and support Iraqi troops if need be, to prevent sectarian violence from breaking out.

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