(news) Bush Defends Iraq War in SC

His Democratic rivals packed up and gone, President Bush claimed the spotlight this morning at the Port of Charleston, where he spoke in near freezing temperatures in front of a Coast Guard laden backdrop.

CNN.com

Talking points centered on his credentials surrounding the war on terrorism, including keeping dangerous cargo out of the country. Bush also reviewed his decision to invade Iraq at great length, following a conclusion made by his former chief weapons inspector in Iraq, David Kay, that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction when U.S. and allied forces entered the country.

CIA Director George Tenet had "opened" for the President in an earlier speech (ATSNN) concluded only moments before the President took the stage in South Carolina. Tenet defended pre-war U.S. intelligence and pounded similar themes of the administration heralded by Bush.

As a point of interest, on the campaign trail in 1999, then Presidential frontrunner Bush also spoke in South Carolina with a pointed message aimed at voters and armed services alike: "I will renew the bond of trust between the American president and the American military."
(1999)

Prior to heading south, Bush spent this morning at a national prayer breakfast in Washington lauding U.S. troops for exhibiting compassion and religious tolerance as they help rebuild Iraq.


[Edited on 5-2-2004 by RANT]