Bush questioned about withdrawal from Iraq

President Bush signed a 10-year, 131 billion dollar tax cut package into law yesterday in Des Moines, then spoke to about three-thousand supporters at a rally in Clive. Bush took a handfull of questions from the audience, and two asked Bush to outline a time table for bringing the troops home from Iraq. One man had a son who had just returned from serving overseas in the military. “My question is ‘When can other parents rest easy knowing their sons and daughters are on their way home?'” the man asked. “As soon as the mission is complete,” Bush replied. “As quickly as possible, but we’ve got to get the mission done…In honor of your son’s sacrifice and service and in the honor of the sacrifice of those who didn’t make it, it’s essential that we finish the job. An Army Reservist in the audience asked Bush what his plans were for the Reserve. “He’s wondering whether he’s going to get called up, let’s get to the bottom line, huh,” Bush said, laughing. “Yea, that’s what I thought,” Bush added as the man nodded. “Here’s the goal,” Bush continued. “The goal is to train Iraqi citizens so they can do the work and it takes away the need for us to rotate troops in. That’s the goal. People say ‘What’s the timetable?’ Let me tell you what’s wrong with (setting) a time table. You might remember my opponent said, ‘Well, we’ll have ’em out of there in six months.’ I got on his for that because you can’t send a signal for six months. Well, six months and the enemy says ‘Fine, I’ll wait ’em out for six months and one day.’ That doesn’t do any good.” Some Bush backers and conservative columnists like Robert Novak have expressed concerns about Bush’s performance in his first debate with opponent John Kerry. Bush and Kerry will meet again this Friday night for a “town hall meeting” in St. Louis where they’ll answer audience questions. During yesterday’s rally in Iowa, Bush sharply criticized Kerry’s foreign policy agenda. “The policies of my opponent are dangerous for world peace,” Bush said. “If they are implemented, they would make this world not more peaceful but more dangerous.” And Bush received thunderous applause by making this declaration: “Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power.” Tonight, Republican Vice President Dick Cheney and democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards debate one another. Bush returns to the state on Saturday. His wife, First Lady Laura Bush, is scheduled to appear in Sioux City on Thursday. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry speaks this morning in Tipton.