One hundred days after he declared an end to major combat in Iraq, President Bush yesterday said coalition forces have achieved great progress toward improving security, restoring vital services and fostering democracy in that nation.
Citing the reopening of banks, a return of water and electrical service to many parts of Iraq and a shifting mentality toward democracy, the president said Iraq is well on its way to enjoying the fruits of freedom.
“Iraq is more secure. The economy of Iraq is beginning to improve. … Banks are now opening up, and the infrastructure is improving. … And the political process is moving toward democracy, which is a major shift of system in that part of the world,” Mr. Bush said.
“We’ve been there a hundred days. We’ve made a lot of progress in a hundred days, and I am pleased with the progress we’ve made, but fully recognize we’ve got a lot more work to do,” the president said. “The ultimate aim is for the infrastructure to be the best in the region.”
Mr. Bush — standing with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers — commented on the war’s progress from his Crawford, Texas, ranch.
An hour after the president spoke, the White House released a detailed document, “Results in Iraq: 100 Days Toward Security and Freedom.” The 25-page report says:
• For the first time in the lives of most Iraqis, a representative government is being established and human rights and freedom are being enshrined.
• Nearly three dozen countries are contributing financially to the renewal of Iraq, with 19 countries providing personnel for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• The food-distribution system is functioning, “based on equitable needs, rather than cronyism.”
• Nearly all Iraqi children have finished exams from last year. All universities are open.
• A $53 million program to rehabilitate more than 100 schools and clinics is under way.
In addition, the report says new military and police forces are being established, hospitals are open, food programs are serving millions of Iraqis, theaters are reopening and 150 newspapers are circulating. A unified currency for Iraq has been announced, and the exchange of old bank notes for new ones is set to begin Oct. 15.
Disputing the notion that Mr. Bush exaggerated the threat from Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction, the progress report says “a senior al Qaeda terrorist, now detained, who had been responsible for al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, reports that al Qaeda was intent on obtaining WMD assistance from Iraq.”
Despite continuing casualties in Iraq, Mr. Bush said U.S. and coalition soldiers are “slowly but surely demolishing the elements of the Ba’athist regime, those foreign terrorists who feel like they can use Iraq as a place to arm up and inflict casualty or perhaps gain strength to come and attack Americans elsewhere.”
The White House report says: “Most of Iraq is calm, and progress on the road to democracy and freedom not experienced in decades continues. Only in isolated areas are there still attacks.”
Asked by a reporter, “What can you tell the American people about how many more soldiers will die?” Mr. Bush said Americans “suffer when we lose life.”
“Our country is a country that grieves with those who sacrifice, and our heartfelt sympathies and appreciation go to the loved ones of any soldier who’s willing to defend the security of the United States — and that’s what they’re doing in Iraq,” he said.
On other topics, Mr. Bush said he and his defense advisers “spent time making sure that our military is configured in such a way as to represent the modern era — which means it will be more likely that the world will be peaceful; a modern, strong, light, active military will make it easier to keep the peace, and, after all, that’s the objective of the administration, to promote freedom and peace.”
Mr. Rumsfeld, who commented only on the military, said he and other military leaders are reviewing whether U.S. troops are stretched thin because of the war in Iraq.
“We have found there are literally about two dozen things we can do that reduce stress on the force,” he said. “The time it takes to bring them in — recruit them, train them, equip them — means there’s a significant lag, so it’s not something one does quickly.”
Mr. Bush also said Israel’s willingness to reroute a security barrier in Palestinian areas is an encouraging sign that “the Israelis are willing to work with us” over a contentious matter that has stalled Middle East peace talks.
Reiterating that the barrier is a problem, Mr. Bush said he understands both the Israeli and Palestinian positions. For Israelis, he said, the barrier “is a reaction to the days when there was terror … to the days of the intifada.” But to Palestinians, it will make it more difficult to develop “contiguous” political borders for a state, he said.
On Germany, a vocal foe of the Iraq war, Mr. Bush sounded a conciliatory note, praising the nation for its help in Afghanistan.
“Germany has assumed a big responsibility, and we really appreciate German participation,” he said. “That’s a change from six months ago. Not only German participation is strong and robust, but it is more robust than we would have anticipated, and I look forward to thanking Chancellor [Gerhard] Schroeder for that.”
Mr. Bush said he and Mr. Cheney, an avid outdoorsman, went fishing on a lake on the president’s 1,600-acre ranch at dawn yesterday, but said it “turns out the fish like cooler weather than hot weather. Probably the press corps feels the same way.”
The president also said he had added a new member to the “Hundred-Degree Club,” which joins the president for three-mile runs without regard for the Texas heat.
“Did Dick Cheney catch anything?” one reporter asked.
“Dick Cheney is a great fly fisherman,” the president said to laughter.
“But not a member of the Hundred-Degree Club,” the vice president said.
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