Bush’s Chat With Troops Draws Flak

President Bush touched off a new round of controversy over his policies in Iraq on Thursday when he conducted a videoconference interview about this weekend’s constitutional referendum with a small group of handpicked troops stationed in Iraq who reinforced his upbeat view of the conflict.

The closely coordinated exchange drew disapproval from Democratic critics of the war as well as some Pentagon military leaders.

The soldiers were carefully coached. Before the session began, a Pentagon communications official, Allison Barber, was heard asking one of them, “Who are we going to give that [question] to?”

Barber later told reporters that the soldiers were told only about broad themes Bush wanted to discuss, not specific questions.

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said he did not think the soldiers had been told what they could or could not say.

“The troops can ask the president whatever they want,” he said. “They’ve always been free to do that.”

Bush did not invite the soldiers to ask any questions, however, and none chose to do so.

Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita later issued a statement saying: “On behalf of these fine young men and women, we certainly regret any perception that they were told what to say. It is not the case.”

The president spoke into a video screen to 10 U.S. soldiers and one Iraqi officer seated outdoors in Tikrit, the hometown of ousted President Saddam Hussein.

“What’s your strategy, and how do you think it’s going?” Bush asked.

Capt. Brent Kennedy of the Army’s 42nd Infantry Division said U.S. and Iraqi forces were working together to secure more than 1,250 polling places for Saturday’s vote. “We’re working right alongside with the Iraqis as they lead the way in securing these sites,” Kennedy said.

With Iraqi troop readiness at the center of the war debate, Bush’s discussion with the troops was questioned by war critics such as Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who complained that it was “highly scripted,” and by military officers.

“Officers are upset that military people would be coached as to how to talk to the president,” said a senior military official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It’s against everything that people in uniform stand for.”

Sgt. Corine Lombardo of Scotia, N.Y., told Bush that Iraqi forces had shown significant improvement over the last 10 months.

“Since we began our partnership, they have improved greatly,” Lombardo said.

Added 1st Lt. Gregg A. Murphy of Tennessee: “The important thing here is that the Iraqi army and the Iraqi security forces, they’re ready, and they’re committed. They’re going to make this thing happen.”

Capt. David Williams of Los Angeles told Bush that voter registration had increased by 400,000, or 17%, in areas patrolled by the 42nd Infantry Division. He said Iraqi citizens had indicated they “are ready and eager to vote in this referendum.”

Meanwhile, the Pentagon released its second quarterly report to Congress on the war, saying that although the number of Iraqi battalions capable of fighting alongside U.S. units had increased, infiltration of the Iraqi police by insurgents remained a significant problem.