US President Bush strongly dismissed congressional critics of his Iraq war policy Friday, accusing them of being "deeply irresponsible" and sending the wrong message both to America's enemy and to American soldiers.
"The stakes in the global war on terror are too high, and the national interest is too important for politicians to throw out false charges," Bush said, according to the AP.
Bush's speech was part of an effort by the White House to boost his dwindling credibility. "When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support," Bush said in a Veterans Day speech at Tobyhanna Army Depot.
"While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began."
Accusing his critics of making false charges, Bush said: "These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America's will. "As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them."
The US leader linked Iraq to the war against terrorism, saying that if the US gives up its fight ".....the terrorists would be able to advance their stated agenda: to develop weapons of mass destruction; to destroy Israel; to intimidate Europe; to assault the American people; and to blackmail our government into isolation."
And he added: "Some might be tempted to dismiss these goals as fanatical or extreme. They are fanatical and extreme -- but they should not be dismissed. Our enemy is utterly committed. As Zarqawi has vowed, "We will either achieve victory over the human race or we will pass to the eternal life."
