Bush confident in U.S. elections, Iraq

WASHINGTON – Buoyed by his trip to Baghdad a day earlier, President Bush predicted Wednesday that the Republican Party would retain control of Congress in part because of Democrats who want to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq too soon.

Bush said he welcomes a debate with Democrats on the war before the elections Nov. 7. “Pulling out of Iraq before we accomplish the mission will make the world a more dangerous place,” he said.

He expressed eagerness to get out on the campaign trail, but not now. “The timing’s not right for me to get out there yet,” he said.

Speaking at a Rose Garden news conference, Bush said he breathed a “sigh of relief” upon hearing Tuesday that top political adviser Karl Rove would not be indicted in connection with the leak of the name of a CIA operative.

Some Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., have called for Rove’s firing. Bush said he trusts Rove, who remains an “integral part of my team.”

The president refused further comment because of ongoing legal proceedings against Vice President Cheney’s former chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who was indicted in the matter.

Iraq dominated the 56-minute session, which came a day after Bush flew overnight to Baghdad for a face-to-face meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and members of his Cabinet. Bush said of the prime minister: “I met with the man, and I believe he can make the right decisions.”

Bush said the visit assured him the new government will be able to “sustain itself, govern itself and defend itself,” freeing U.S. troops to come home. He said he has no specific timetable for the troops’ withdrawal and called Iraq essential to success in the war on terrorism.

A USA Today/Gallup Poll taken Friday to Sunday found 51 percent of Americans said invading Iraq was a mistake.

“It’s worth it, it is necessary and we will succeed,” Bush declared.

He cautioned that it is not realistic to expect “zero violence” in Iraq, despite the death last week of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and the advent of a democratically elected government.

“There are other measures to determine success,” he said, including generation of more electricity, stepped-up oil production and a stable government that provides “tangible” benefits to its people.