· Quitting Iraq would be a mistake, Americans told · Spying revelations further hit president's poll ratings George Bush last night sought to reclaim the initiative after a bruising weekend in which the president was forced to admit that he secretly ordered a spying programme to eavesdrop on Americans suspected of ties to terrorists, and revelations that the US operated a secret prison in Afghanistan. According to early excerpts released by the White House, Mr Bush used a live TV address - his first from the Oval Office since he announced the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 - to tout last Thursday's elections there as a hopeful sign of progress in the war-torn country. "This election will not mean the end of violence", the president said, but it did mean that America "has an ally of growing strength in the fight against terror". And in a direct rebuff to critics who have called for an immediate withdrawal, he said that pulling out of the country would signal that America "cannot be trusted", and would "hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us". Last night's primetime TV address, which followed four speeches by Mr Bush in the run-up to last week's Iraqi elections, spelling out his strategy for winning the war, was part of an attempt by the administration to shrug off a disastrous summer which saw the president's approval ratings fall to an all-time low in the wake of the administration's hapless response to Hurricane Katrina, and amid worries over the rising death toll in Iraq. The public relations blitz included a surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday by Dick Cheney in which the vice-president also declared that quitting Iraq was not an option. But even as Mr Cheney toured the capital, a string of attacks killed up to two dozen people.
George Bush last night sought to reclaim the initiative after a bruising weekend in which the president was forced to admit that he secretly ordered a spying programme to eavesdrop on Americans suspected of ties to terrorists, and revelations that the US operated a secret prison in Afghanistan.
According to early excerpts released by the White House, Mr Bush used a live TV address - his first from the Oval Office since he announced the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 - to tout last Thursday's elections there as a hopeful sign of progress in the war-torn country. "This election will not mean the end of violence", the president said, but it did mean that America "has an ally of growing strength in the fight against terror".
And in a direct rebuff to critics who have called for an immediate withdrawal, he said that pulling out of the country would signal that America "cannot be trusted", and would "hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us".
Last night's primetime TV address, which followed four speeches by Mr Bush in the run-up to last week's Iraqi elections, spelling out his strategy for winning the war, was part of an attempt by the administration to shrug off a disastrous summer which saw the president's approval ratings fall to an all-time low in the wake of the administration's hapless response to Hurricane Katrina, and amid worries over the rising death toll in Iraq.
The public relations blitz included a surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday by Dick Cheney in which the vice-president also declared that quitting Iraq was not an option. But even as Mr Cheney toured the capital, a string of attacks killed up to two dozen people.
Do you think their canine magic will help in the polls? Maybe get our mind off the NSA wire taps, misnomered "Patriot Act", 30000 Iraqi deaths, renditions, concentration camps, Cunningham, Delay, Abramoff, torture galore?
