Insurgents Are ‘Trying to Shake the Will of the Iraqi People’

On Iraq:

The ultimate success in Iraq is for the Iraqis to secure their country.... The strategy is to work to provide security for a political process to go forward. The strategy is to help rebuild Iraq. And the strategy is to train Iraqis so they can fight off the thugs and the killers and the terrorists who want to destroy the progress of a free society.

Now, I would call the results mixed, in terms of standing up Iraqi units who are willing to fight. There have been some cases where when the heat got on, they left the battlefield. That’s unacceptable. Iraq will never secure itself if they have troops that when the heat gets on, they leave the battlefield. I fully understand that. On the other hand, there were some really fine units in Fallouja, for example, in Najaf, that did their duty....

The place where ... we need to do better is to make sure that there is a command structure that connects the soldier to the strategy in a better way.... They’ve got some generals in place and they’ve got foot soldiers in place, but the whole command structure necessary to have a viable military is not in place....

No question about it, the bombers are having an effect. You know, these people are targeting innocent Iraqis. They’re trying to shake the will of the Iraqi people, and frankly, trying to shake the will of the American people. And car bombs that destroy young children or car bombs that indiscriminately bomb in religious sites are effective propaganda tools. But we must meet the objective, which is to help the Iraqis defend themselves, and at the same time, have a political process to go forward. It’s in our long-term interests that we succeed, and I’m confident we will.

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On Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld:

The secretary of Defense is a complex job. It’s complex in times of peace, and it’s complex even more so in times of war. And the secretary has managed this department during two major battles in the war on terror -- Afghanistan and Iraq. And at the same time, he’s working to transform our military so it functions better, it’s lighter, it’s ready to strike on a moment’s notice. In other words, that the force structure meets the demands we face in the 21st century.

Not only is he working to transform the nature of the forces, we’re working to transform where our forces are based. As you know, we have recently worked with the South Korean government, for example, to replace manpower with equipment, to keep the peninsula secure and the Far East secure, but at the same time, recognizing we have a different series of threats. And he’s done a fine job, and I look forward to continuing to work with him.

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On Rumsfeld’s use of a machine to sign letters of condolence to families of dead servicemen and women:

I know Secretary Rumsfeld’s heart. I know how much he cares for the troops. He and his wife go out to Walter Reed and Bethesda [military medical centers] all the time to provide comfort and solace. I have seen the anguish in his -- or heard the anguish in his voice and seen his eyes when we talk about the danger in Iraq, and the fact that youngsters are over there in harm’s way. And he is -- he’s a good, decent man. He’s a caring fellow. Sometimes perhaps his demeanor is rough and gruff, but beneath that rough and gruff, no-nonsense demeanor is a good human being who cares deeply about the military, and deeply about the grief that war causes.

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On dealing with North Korea and Iran:

I stand on the -- continuing the six-party talks with North Korea to convince Kim Jong Il to give up his weapons systems. As you might remember, our countries tried a strategy of bilateral relationships in hopes that we can convince Kim Jong Il. It didn’t work.

As a matter of fact, when we thought we had, in good faith agreed to an agreement -- I mean, agreed to a plan that would work -- he himself was enriching uranium, or saw to it that the uranium was enriched. In other words, he broke the agreement.

I think it’s an important lesson for this administration to learn, and that the best way to convince him to disarm is to get others to weigh in, as well -- the Iranian situation, as well. We’re relying upon others, because we’ve sanctioned ourselves out of influence with Iran, to send a message that we expect them to -- in other words, we don’t have much leverage with the Iranians right now, and we expect them to listen to those voices, and we’re a part of the universal acclaim....

Diplomacy must be the first choice, and always the first choice of an administration trying to solve an issue of, in this case, nuclear armament. And we’ll continue to press on diplomacy.

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On prospects for peace in the Mideast:

There will never be peace until a true democratic state emerges in the Palestinian territory. And I’m hopeful right now because the Palestinians will begin to have elections, have -- will have elections, which is the beginning of the process toward the development of a state. It is not the sign that democracy has arrived. It is the beginning of a process.

And we look forward to working with Israel to uphold her obligations to enable a Palestinian state to emerge.

And if the free world focuses on helping the Palestinians develop a state, and there is leadership willing to accept the help, it’s possible to achieve peace.