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Skriven 2007-08-22 23:30:54 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0708226) for Wed, 2007 Aug 22
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Setting the Record Straight: President Bush's View on Iraq's Elected
Government Consistent
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For Immediate Release August 22, 2007

Setting the Record Straight: President Bush's View on Iraq's Elected
Government Consistent Following Joint Press Conference At North American
Leaders' Summit, Media Reports Misrepresent President Bush's Comments On
Political Progress In Iraq

˙˙White House News

˙˙˙˙˙ Setting the Record Straight ˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Renewal in Iraq

Some Media Reports Wrongly Claim President Bush's Comments Yesterday On
Political Progress In Iraq Represent A "Striking Attempt By The White House
To Distance Itself From The Maliki Government"

President Bush's comments were in response to a specific question about
Sen. Carl Levin's (D-MI) assessment of Iraq's government.˙Q: "Senator
Levin, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said that the Iraqi
parliament ought to oust Prime Minister Maliki and his government for being
politically unable to deliver political unity_ I'm wondering what your
reaction is to Senator Levin's comment_"˙ THE PRESIDENT: "_I think there's
a certain level of frustration with the leadership in general, inability to
work  to come to get, for example, an oil revenue law passed or provincial
elections."˙ (Joint Press Availability With President Bush, Canadian Prime
Minister Harper, and Mexican President Calderon, Montebello, Canada,
8/21/07)

As the wire services reported, but some major media outlets ignored, White
House officials made clear that there was no change in the President's
support for Iraq's elected government.˙"Trying to underscore the
administration's commitment to al-Maliki, National Security Council
spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters that Bush continued to have
confidence in the prime minister and that his level of support had not
changed. 'President Bush believes that Prime Minister Maliki and the
presidency council are going to be able to come together and reach some
sort of political accommodation,' Johndroe said. 'He certainly urges them
to do so every time he speaks with them.'"˙(Deb Riechmann, "Bush Says It Is
Up To Iraqi People To Determine The Fate Of Their Government," The
Associated Press, 8/21/07)

As He Did Yesterday, The President Has Consistently Emphasized The Need For
Iraq's Government To Fulfill Its Commitments To Political Benchmarks

President Bush: "[M]y own perspective is, is that they have made some
progress, but not enough."˙ (President George W. Bush, Press Conference,
The White House, 8/9/07)
  ū "[T]here is a lot of work left to be done, don't get me wrong."˙
    "People say we need an oil revenue sharing law. I agree with that, that
    needs to be codified."˙ (President George W. Bush, Press Conference,
    The White House, 8/9/07)
  ū "[T]he Iraqis have got to do more work."˙ "I call upon the United
    States Congress to give General David Petraeus a chance to come back
    and tell us whether his strategy is working. _ In the meantime, the
    Iraqis have got to do more work."˙ (President George W. Bush, Remarks,
    Cleveland, OH, 7/10/07)
  ū "I make no excuses, we will continue to keep the pressure up.˙ We
    expect there to be reconciliation.˙ We expect them to pass law."˙
    (President George W. Bush, Remarks, Newport, RI, 6/28/07)
  ū "Iraq's leaders must meet the other pledges they have made." ˙"[Iraq's
    leaders] have committed themselves to a series of benchmarks to advance
    this reconciliation_ Iraqis have already begun to deliver on some of
    these promises. _ And now Iraq's leaders must meet the other pledges
    they have made."˙ (President George W. Bush, Remarks, Washington, DC,
    3/6/07)
  ū "If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it
    will lose the support of the American people  and it will lose the
    support of the Iraqi people."˙ "I've made it clear to the Prime
    Minister and Iraq's other leaders that America's commitment is not
    open-ended. _ Now is the time to act." ˙(President George W. Bush,
    Address To The Nation, The White House, 1/10/07)
  ū "We're pressing Iraq's leaders to take bold measures to save their
    country.˙ We're making it clear that America's [patience] is not
    unlimited."˙ (President George W. Bush, Press Conference, The White
    House, 10/25/06)

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