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 12 October 2008 00:12 BST

Bush admits Iraq, Vietnam parallels

Wednesday, 22 Aug 2007 20:01
George Bush has traditionally avoided mentioning Iraq and Vietnam in the same breath
George Bush has said a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq could lead to a mirroring of the turmoil seen in south-east Asia after the end of the Vietnam war.

The United States president had previously been loath to mention Iraq and Vietnam in the same sentence.

But at a speech in front of war veterans in Kansas City, Missouri, Mr Bush drew parallels between the conflicts in Iraq and Vietnam as "ideological struggles".

"Like our enemies in the past, the terrorists who wage war in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places seek to spread a political vision of their own – a harsh plan for life that crushes freedom, tolerance and dissent," he explained.

Mr Bush also used his address to reverse criticisms of the Iraqi government, calling prime minister Nouri al-Maliki a "good guy", before adding he was "doing a good job and I support him".

The US president had said yesterday that there was a "certain level of frustration" in the White House with the Baghdad administration led by a politician who he once described as the "right man for Iraq".

Speaking at a meeting with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, the president said Mr al-Maliki's government had "more to do", particularly with regard to the leadership's "inability to work and come together".

Responding to these comments, Mr al-Maliki said the remarks of US officials were "discourteous" and motivated by the forthcoming presidential election.

He said no country had the "right" to impose timetables for improving the security situation in Iraq, saying his government could "find friends elsewhere". His comments came on a visit to the notoriously anti-American neighbouring state of Syria.

Mr Bush also compared post-imperial Japan in the aftermath of the second world war with Iraq today, saying the cynicism of those who believed Japan could not be turned into a democracy would be proved unjustified again in Iraq's future.

In an address punctuated by approving cheers from his appreciative crowd, Mr Bush talked of a "fight to win" and said he was "confident we will prevail" over the "dangerous [and] determined" extremists fighting against freedom in Iraq around the world.

But the US president's comments will continue to hang over the al-Maliki administration, especially those in his earlier speech warning that if the government could not meet the demands of the Iraqi people they in turn "will replace the government".

"That's up to the Iraqis to make that decision, not American politicians," Mr Bush warned.End of story


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