US President George W. Bush rejected suggestions that he set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq or send in more troops, counseling patience for US citizens who question the war's painful costs.
"Is the sacrifice worth it? It is worth it and it is vital to the security of our country," Bush told a nation increasingly doubtful about the toll of the 27-month-old war.
Bush spoke in a Tuesday night address for a half-hour from an Army base that has 9,300 troops in Iraq, hoping to convince the public that his strategy for victory needs only time to be successful. He offered no shift in course.
"We have a clear path forward," he said. "As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down."
The audience of 750 soldiers and airmen in dress uniform listened mostly quietly -- as they were asked to do to reflect the somber nature of the speech -- only breaking into applause when Bush vowed that the US "will stay in the fight until the fight is won."
Bush said he understands the public concerns about a war that has killed over 1,740 Americans and at least 12,000 Iraqi civilians and cost US$200 billion.
"Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed," he said. "Every picture is horrifying and the suffering is real."
Recalling the Sept. 11 attacks a half-dozen times and suggesting a link with the Iraq war, Bush said the US faces an enemy that has made Iraq the central front in the war on terror. Democrats said the country needed to hear more specifics about how to reach success in Iraq.
"The president's Iraq policy is adrift, disconnected from the reality on the ground and in need of major midcourse corrections," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. "Staying the course ... is neither sustainable nor likely to lead to the success we all seek."
"The president's frequent references to the terrorist attacks of September 11 show the weakness of his arguments," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said
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