Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=APRIL 20, 2004

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=CQ BUSH / IRAQ (L-O)

NUMBER=2-315201

BYLINE=SCOTT STEARNS

DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

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INTRO: President Bush says there will be no backing-off the fight against those opposing the U-S occupation of Iraq. V-O-A's Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush is campaigning in the state of New York, with public opinion polls showing him leading his likely Democratic rival.

TEXT: President Bush says U-S troops have hard work in Iraq, but their mission there will not change because of a recent upsurge in fighting.

/// BUSH ACT ///

There is nothing they can do to intimidate us, to make us change our deepest belief. They are trying to kill to shake our will. We are too tough, too strong, too resolute and too determined to ever have our will shaken by thugs and terrorists.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Bush was in New York campaigning for the extension of a controversial anti-terrorism law, which removes barriers to sharing information between U-S law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

It also makes it easier to conduct electronic surveillance and wiretaps on suspected terrorists.

Concerns about the potential abuse of those broader policing powers have made the so-called Patriot Act a campaign issue. The presumptive Democratic challenger, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, voted for the act, but has since expressed concerns about its implementation.

Mr. Bush says the law has made the nation safer at a time when he says America is also confronting threats abroad.

/// BUSH ACT ///

As we work to not only make the homeland more secure, we work to spread freedom which will make the world more peaceful. The enemy can't stand the thought of free societies. That's why they attacked us.

/// END ACT ///

The president's handling of the war in Iraq is a central issue in this year's campaign.

The latest public opinion polls show Mr. Bush leading Senator Kerry 48 percent to 44 percent.

A Washington Post, A-B-C television poll shows that a majority of Americans still believe that invading Iraq was the right thing to do. Nearly two-thirds say U-S operations there have bogged down and are not making good progress, but an even greater number favor sticking with a June 30th deadline for handing over political power to a transitional government until elections can be held. (SIGNED)

NEB/SKS/RH/TW