BUSH CHALLENGES IRAQIS - " BRING 'EM ON'


CNN Thursday, July 3, 2003

The White House found itself on the defensive Thursday for a comment President Bush made a day earlier that some Democrats say amounted to a dare for militants to attack U.S. troops in Iraq.

White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush was only expressing his faith in the strength and capability of U.S. forces when, talking about militant attacks, he declared, "Bring 'em on."

"The president expressed it, said it, because he views it as a way to express confidence in the forces," Fleischer told reporters.

Privately, more than one White House official acknowledged that, at a minimum, the Bush line was open to misinterpretation.

Democrats took a more critical view.

U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri -- who is seeking his party's 2004 presidential nomination -- said the president should stop with the "phony, macho rhetoric."

"I have a message for the president," Gephardt said in a written statement. "We should be focused on a long-term security plan that reduces the danger to our military personnel."

The statement continued: "We need a clear plan to bring stability to Iraq and an honest discussion with the American people on the cost of that endeavor. We need a serious attempt to develop a postwar plan for Iraq and not more shoot-from-the-hip one-liners."

Another White House hopeful, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, also took issue with Bush's comment, calling it "unwise (and) unworthy of the office."

"The deteriorating situation in Iraq requires less swagger and more thoughtfulness and statesmanship," Kerry said in a written statement.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey, called the president's "bring 'em on" remark "irresponsible and inciteful."

In a news release, Lautenberg described shaking his head "in disbelief" as he listened to Bush.

"When I served in the Army in Europe during World War II, I never heard any military commander -- let alone the commander in chief -- invite enemies to attack U.S. troops," Lautenberg said.

Since May 1 -- when Bush declared an end to major combat in Iraq -- there have been more than two dozen "hostile" U.S. military deaths in Iraq, according to the Pentagon.

Bush has condemned such attacks and vowed that they would not deter his administration's resolve to stay in Iraq until a strong democratic government takes root.

A U.S.-led invasion in March toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein, who the United States and its allies had said was developing weapons of mass destruction.

"Anybody who wants to harm American troops will be found and brought to justice," Bush said Wednesday. "There are some that feel like if they attack us that we may decide to leave prematurely. They don't understand what they are talking about if that is the case. Let me finish. There are some who feel like the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is: Bring 'em on."

U.S. forces, he added, are "plenty tough" to deal with any security threats.

At a news conference Thursday, several Democrats who just came back from a trip to Iraq criticized Bush for his remark.

"I don't believe personally that kind of cocky rhetoric is helpful either to our troops or to attracting other countries to join us," said Sen. Carl Levin, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

But Sen. John Warner of Virginia, the Republican chairman of that committee, defended Bush.

"What he said is very clear to me," Warner said. "That was a message to the troops that 'you've got the right stuff, and that you're there to stay, and I'm confident in the coalition forces.' "

CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King and Producer Steve Turnham contributed to this report

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