Bush addresses soldiers at Fort Lewis

By David Postman
Seattle Times chief political reporter

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Related stories Nethercutt gets a lift from Bush Bush meets Issaquah grandmother A boost from McCain on Iraq Other links President Bush at Fort Lewis Transcript fo President Bush's speech

Bush mixed tough talk of his and America's resolve to finish the war on terrorism with praise for the military's role and an optimistic update on life in Iraq.

Bush was joined by Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, who lent his war hero credentials and plain talk to the president's efforts to firm up public support for the war.

"It's a fight between right and wrong, good and evil," McCain said. "It's no more ambiguous than that."

Bush said later that Americans need to be reminded about what is at stake in the war in Iraq, in part to overcome images of prison abuse and continuing U.S. casualties.

a "But when reminded about the stakes, they understand," Bush said. "The country is resolute and determined because the imagery of September 11 is vivid in their minds."

He cautioned that there is more fighting to come, calling Saudi Arabia - where a U.S. hostage was murdered today - a new battlefront in the war on terrorism.

While Bush was in Washington state, the commission investigating the September 11 terrorist attacks issued a report saying the government was unprepared for the attacks and criticized a chaotic and bungled response.

"No question it was a dramatic day and no question that there was a fog of war," Bush told reporters.

"We did take some decisive action, but the attack was unanticipated of course. No one dreamt they would be flying commercial airplanes into our buildings and the Pentagon."

Bush praised U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta for his decision on Sept. 11 to ground all commercial air traffic after the attacks
 
"Any president would have moved heaven and earth to protect America," he said. "My predecessor would have. A future president would. That is the solemn duty that we have."

In his speech and with reporters, Bush's main message was that Iraqis are now beginning to take responsibility for the post-war operation of their country, an essential step he said for both Iraq and the United States.

"History will record this as a turning point for emergence of a free Iraq," Bush said.

But he conceded that in hindsight the United States should have moved faster to train Iraqis to keep the peace in their own country.

"Maybe we could have done a quicker job of standing them up ready to fight," Bush said. "Because the truth of it is they want to fight for themselves. They don't want to fight for Americans."

It was the friendliest of crowds at the army base south of Tacoma: as many as 7,000 soldiers, their families and civilian military personnel. It was a sea of fatigues entertained by patriotic country music and flourishes from the Army's brass band.

Not that Bush needed any backup with that group, but he was joined on stage by McCain, a Navy flier during the Vietnam War who was held as a POW for 5 1/2 years.

Hailed by Republicans and Democrats as a war hero, McCain has been rumored for months to be on Democrat John Kerry's list of potential vice presidential running mates; an invitation he has rebuffed on numerous occasions. While McCain has defended Kerry against Republican attacks on his patriotism, he left no doubt today about his support for Bush.

"He has led this country with moral clarity about the stakes involved," McCain told the crowd.

"He has not wavered in his determination to protect this country and to make the world a better, safer, freer place. You will not yield, nor will he."

Bush's war record was sharply criticized today by former Sen. Max Cleland, D-Georgia, who spoke to reporters in a teleconference organized by Kerry's presidential campaign.

"I find it absolutely incredulous that the president would say he's supporting the troops when he's the one that committed them to a quagmire, a war that is becoming another Vietnam, where we have no strategy to win and no strategy to get out," Cleland said.

Cleland said Bush's claim of a connection between al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein was "a used car that was sold and has turned out to be a lemon, and all the wheels have fallen off." He added, "This is an absolute disaster in the desert."

Among the troops in the helicopter hangar were soldiers freshly back from Iraq, some who are on their way, and families and friends of some who have been killed in action.

"It gives us a chance to show our support for the president and the war on terrorism," said 1st Sgt. John Keefer.

He welcomed Bush's report on a burgeoning civil society in Iraq.

"It seems the media wants to report all the tragedy," Keefer said. "But there are some great things happening over there in Iraq, too."

Bush told the troops he knows that "people wonder whether we'll succeed."

"I'm here to tell you, these are essential tasks for our security and for peace of the world. You see, by fighting the terrorists in distance lands, you are making sure your fellow citizens do not face them here at home."

"By helping the rise of democracy in Iraq and throughout the world, you are giving people an alternative to bitterness and hatred, and that is essential to the peace of the world."

In an interview with three local reporters, Bush said that building a larger international force with greater United Nations backing would not have made a difference in Iraq.

"I think the success in Iraq really depends on the Iraqis," he said. "It didn't matter whether it was the United States and 50 nations or the United States and those 30 nations we had in there. I think as long as Iraqis didn't think they were responsible for the future there wouldn't be this kind of momentum toward freedom."

He said Iraqis were slow to begin taking control of their country in part because they doubted the U.S. would continue to support them.

"One of the things that I believe is for a period of time Iraqis were real uncertain about America," Bush said. "And you know why? Because they had stuck their neck out in the past and no one was there to help them."

That has been a criticism leveled at Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush who led the first Gulf War.

Bush arrived in Spokane Thursday night, when he attended a fund raiser for Rep. George Nethercutt's Senate campaign. He spent the night at Fort Lewis, telling the troops the base's commanding officer gave him "a pretty good sack" to sleep on.

After the speech, Bush and McCain visited wounded soldiers at Madigan Amry Medical Center and families of troops killed in the war.

"I'm going to say to them, 'Your loved one died for a cause greater than self and it was worth it,'" Bush said. "It was worth peace and security."

David Postman: 360-943-9882 or dpostman@seattletimes.com
Staff reporter Matthew Rodriguez contributed to this report.