Bush says Iraq elections spur reform

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President Bush yesterday said the Iraq elections already are inspiring reform throughout the broader region, but declined to claim vindication for signs of democratization in the Middle East.

"I just don't worry about vindication," Mr. Bush said in response to a question from The Washington Times at a White House press conference.

He joked that he didn't have "time to sit around and wander, lonely, in the Oval Office, kind of asking different portraits: 'How do you think my standing will be?' "

Mr. Bush faced intense skepticism in the run-up to the Iraq war and widespread criticism in the aftermath because of miscalculations about security. Through it all, he kept insisting the Iraq elections would have a ripple effect in the broader region by inspiring Democratic reform.

Some critics of the president now say he was right. In the weeks after the Jan. 30 elections, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agreed to multiparty elections, Lebanese protesters ousted their pro-Syria government and Damascus agreed to partially withdraw its troops from Lebanon.

But yesterday, Mr. Bush refused to rebuke his doubters.

"I fully understand that as long as I'm the president I will face criticism -- it's like part of the job," he said. "Since it doesn't bother me and I expect it, I don't then seek vindication."

Instead, the president credited the fledgling democracies of Iraq and Afghanistan with inspiring neighboring countries. He did not mention that those democracies were installed by the United States after American forces ousted Saddam Hussein from Iraq and the Taliban from Afghanistan.

"It's important for people in that region to see what is possible in a free society," he said. "I believe those examples will serve as examples for others over time."

He cited several examples.