Homeland Security

DATE=4/14/04

TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP

NAME=BUSH NEWS CONFERENCE

NUMBER=6-130339

BY LINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

INTRO: At his news conference Tuesday evening, President Bush reasserted his commitment to put down the violence in Iraq and to transfer power to a democratic government by June 30th. Many U-S dailies give the president credit for his resolve, but fault him for failing to admit any mistakes, or provide details on Iraq's future. V-O-A's __________ joins us now with an early sampling of editorial reaction in today's U-S Opinion Roundup.

TEXT: The situation in Iraq has aroused much controversy in the United States, and since much of the president's news conference dealt with Iraq, that controversy is reflected in editorial comments about the news conference. In California, The Los Angeles Times was dissatisfied with Mr. Bush's remarks.

VOICE: Nowhere in the president's rosy ["positive"] vision did he acknowledge the inconvenient fact that truly free elections in Iraq, with its entrenched and warring factions, might mean results that the Bush administration couldn't embrace. How well the eventual transition works will depend heavily on diplomatic skills that the administration has yet to demonstrate and on reliable intelligence that U-S agencies have yet to provide.

TEXT: Calling the president's demeanor "grave and impressive [in] his opening remarks," The New York Times goes on to say the president:

VOICE: ... failed to address either of the questions uppermost in Americans' minds: how to move Iraq from its current chaos, and what he has learned from the 9/11 investigations. ... his rhetoric ... did not seem to indicate any fresh or clear thinking about Iraq, despite the many disturbing events of recent weeks.

TEXT: A more positive view comes from Middle America, and Iowa's Des Moines Register, which was impressed by the president's comments on Iraq. The Register writes:

VOICE: The president was most eloquent and genuine when emphasizing just how strongly he feels about bringing democracy to Iraq and to the Middle East. ... [His] performance revealed the classic Bush resolve that betrayed not a hint of self-doubt ...

TEXT: Back in California, that "classic resolve" the Des Moines Register noted was not well received at The San Francisco Chronicle.

VOICE: The most striking impression of the president's ... news conference was his determination -- to the point of stubbornness -- to refuse to acknowledge any mistakes.... His discomfort was apparent as he struggled with questions about the missed clues before September 11 and the escalating bloodshed in Iraq.... There were not many reassuring moments Tuesday night.

TEXT: From the Texas capital, Austin's America-Statesman says that while the president's delivery:

VOICE: ... was sometimes halting ... he was firm in his conviction that the war is an opportunity to change the world. He was honest, too, in saying the war well may get worse before the picture ... improves ... [And] there was no ambiguity in the president's position that there can be ... no retreat from the mission and no alternative to offensive action against anti-democratic forces ...

TEXT: Elsewhere in Texas, The Houston Chronicle adds:

VOICE: ... he was right to face the facts squarely, with no sugarcoating ... The president also stated what few Americans can reject: The United States has no option but to succeed in Iraq. Our interests require us to stay the course ... [He] stated his principles strongly but not glibly... and [his] news conference provided leadership and a presence that Americans wanted and only a president could have provided.

TEXT: With that view from The Houston Chronicle, we conclude this sampling of reaction to the president's news conference.

NEB/ANG/KL