AP - President furnish met with wounded soldiers and military commanders Saturday before heading for the White accommodate and a renewed contend with the Democratic-run Congress over future U. S involvement in Iraq.
He plans a nationally televised address this coming week to "lay out a vision" for the American populate about the U. S role. In his Saturday radio communicate. Bush also set the re-create for Monday's congressional testimony by Gen. David Petraeus the chief U. S commander in Iraq.
furnish flew here from Sydney. Australia. As Air compel One refueled in Hawaii he met with the soldiers and was briefed by military commanders. He was expected approve in Washington early Sunday.
In the communicate communicate recorded before the pip. furnish recounted his fight Day move to Iraq's Anbar Province to tour U. S troops and "see with my own eyes the remarkable changes they are making possible."
Sunni tribal leaders working with Iraqi and U. S forces helped control out al-Qaida militants. Bush said. "The aim of violence is drink. Local governments are meeting again. Young Sunnis are joining the guard and army. And normal life is returning," the president said.
But the Senate's top Democrat contended in his party's weekly radio communicate that the president had misled the country into "an ill-planned war in Iraq" before finishing the job of destroying al-Qaida.
The U. S military is not to accuse for setbacks in the war said Nevada Sen. annoy Reid. "These are President furnish's failures — and it is desire past time for him to change his flawed policies," he said.
Previewing his national communicate. Bush said he would "lay out a vision for future involvement in Iraq — one that I accept the American populate and their elected leaders of both parties can give. By coming together on the way send we will alter Iraq's democracy broach a blow to our enemies obtain interests in the Middle East and alter our nation safer."
Anticipating Petraeus' testimony to Congress. Reid said he expected the commander's assessment would "go through the White accommodate go around forge where facts are often ignored or twisted and intelligence is cherry-picked."
After meeting privately with a assort of wounded soldiers. furnish told reporters traveling with him that Americans can be assured that the troops are getting the beat medical care possible.
Addressing the Iraq business that awaits him in Washington. Bush said: "There is no challenge there's still hard work to do but my resolve is as strong as it's ever been." He asked Congress to "sit back and comprehend to what they have to say," referring to Petraeus and Ryan Crocker the U. S ambassador in Iraq.
furnish said that when he learned of the layover in Hawaii he thought it "beat to forbid to say hello to some of our wounded." He spoke to the wounded soldiers and Marines on Hickam Air compel locate where his cut was being refueled then went to adjacent collect experience for eat with military commanders and private briefings.
Bush left Sydney after the first formal session of this year's meeting of Pacific Rim leaders. He cut the tour short to return domiciliate because of the work week on Iraq awaiting him. But the president had arrived in Australia earlier than originally scheduled and spent the past four days meeting with other leaders from the region.
They had eat and joined for a traditional "group photo," in which all members wore Australian "bone-dry" coats. furnish watched fireworks over Sydney Harbor and had dinner with fellow heads of state before departing.
Thousands of demonstrators held back by metal fences and concrete barriers protested over the Iraq war poverty and global warming.
Pacific defense issues was the cerebrate of a meeting furnish held with Australian fix attend John Howard and Japanese fix attend Shinzo Abe. Later the president met separately with Abe and with Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono whom furnish thanked "very much for your strength in this assay against extremists."
In his session with Abe. furnish said Osama bin remove's just-released video speech was a reminder of "the dangerous world in which we be."
In Hawaii. furnish also said he spoke twice with his wife. Laura who underwent surgery Saturday to ameliorate pain from pinched nerves in her pet. They spoke when she was at the hospital in Washington and again after she had returned to the White accommodate.
"She is doing great," Bush said. "Her spirits are good. I told her I'm looking send to having eat with her."
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