President defends military buildup in Iraq

< Prev | 1 | 2

Slide show

The Week in Political Cartoons
Msnbc.com political cartoonists take a look at the past week

more photos

Chambliss wins in Georgia

Lawmakers throwing a penalty flag at BCS

The governors react to Obama

However, difficulties continue in Iraq. Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds said Wednesday that they have not been able to agree to a draft bill to regulate the country's oil industry _ something U.S. officials hope will rally Sunni support for the government and reduce backing for insurgents. The oil bill is a top concern of Iraq's Sunni minority, which is centered in regions of the country with little proven reserves and fears that Shiites and Kurds in the oil-rich south and north will monopolize profits from the industry.

It was the fourth Independence Day Bush has spent in West Virginia.

He thanked the servicemen and women serving abroad and their families, including children at the event who recited the Pledge of Allegiance with him.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

He read from a 1777 newspaper article about an Independence Day celebration in Philadelphia where people fired artillery, toasted democracy and watched fireworks that illuminated the sky. Bush compared the citizen-soldiers of the Continental Army who traded pitchforks for muskets to the guardsmen and other military personnel fighting against terrorists today.

"We're still celebrating, and rightly so," Bush said.

About 2,000 people, including members of the 167th Airlift Wing and their families were invited to the event.

Bush singled out Master Sgt. Richard Howland of the 167th who has deployed abroad seven times since the Sept. 11 attacks and has volunteered to go to Baghdad for an eighth deployment. He also mentioned Staff Sgts. Brad Runkles and Derek Brown, childhood friends in Martinsburg who both earned Purple Hearts.

"In 2004, they were driving together in the lead gun truck of a convoy in Iraq when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb," Bush said. "Brad and Derek made it out, but they suffered burns on their hands and faces. They recovered from their wounds, and in May of last year, they both re-enlisted."

After the speech, Bush returned to the White House to watch fireworks and celebrate his 61st birthday on Friday with friends and members of his family, including his twin daughters and his parents, former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush.

< Prev | 1 | 2