President Bush on Wednesday defended his use of prewar intelligence on Iraq, saying he is "absolutely confident" in his actions despite the discovery that one claim he made about Saddam Hussein's weapons pursuits was based on baseless information.
Democrats have argued that the White House's acknowledgment that Bush misspoke earlier this year when he said Saddam tried to purchase uranium in Africa justifies a broad review of how the administration used prewar intelligence on Iraq.
Bush, at a news conference with South African President Thabo Mbeki during a five-nation African tour, took on his critics, AP reported.
"There's no doubt in my mind that when it's all said and done the facts will show the world the truth," he said. "There's going to be, you know, a lot of attempts to try to rewrite history, and I can understand that. But I'm absolutely confident in the decision I made."
Bush defended his decision to go to war based on a larger body of information.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the world peace," the American leader said. "And there's no doubt in my mind that the United States ... did the right thing in removing him from power."
In Washington, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the administration decided to use military force in Iraq because the information about the threat of Saddam's regime was seen with a different perspective after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"The coalition did not act in Iraq because we had discovered dramatic new evidence of Iraq's pursuit of weapons of mass murder," Rumsfeld said. "We acted because we saw the existing evidence in a new light through the prism of our experience on Sept. 11."
The Bush administration used purported Iraqi weapons of mass destruction as a major justification for the war, and the failure to find such weapons so far has generated intense criticism from some Democrats. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
