Bush warns of upcoming political turmoil in Iraq

WASHINGTON – President Bush warned Americans on Tuesday to expect more violence in Iraq over the next year but called this the price of progress as the country stands up its own security forces and moves toward democracy.

Speaking to members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Bush said that in the coming weeks Iraq is likely to be the scene of “a good deal of political turmoil” as factions jockey for position and vie for power. Rather than being alarmed by those developments, he said, “we should welcome this for what it is: freedom in action.”

“Out of the turmoil in Iraq, a free government will emerge that represents the will of the Iraqi people, instead of the will of one cruel dictator,” Bush said.

The president’s remarks to 425 veterans at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington came during a time of surging violence in Iraq, where more than 200 Iraqis and 16 U.S. soldiers have been killed since last Wednesday. It also marked the latest in a series of speeches he has given since December, aimed at more specifically outlining his administration’s strategy for Iraq and spotlighting progress there, while sketching a balanced picture of what it will take to earn victory in the unpopular war.

With federal midterm elections later this year, Bush said he expects Iraq to be a continuing source of political contention. But, in a thinly veiled warning to his Democratic critics, he called on voters to demand a responsible debate “that brings credit to our democracy, not comfort to our enemies.”