בוש גייט רעדן היינט 10:00 AM
Bush to Hold Morning News Conference
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Confronting doubts about his strategy in Iraq, President Bush sought to build up support by taking his case directly to the nation on Tuesday.
The president planned to talk about Iraq at a 10 a.m. ET White House news conference, a day after he spoke on the same subject in a major address in Cleveland. He also was expected to boast about the strength of the nation's economy.
It will be Bush's second news conference of the year.
In Monday's speech, Bush acknowledged there was dwindling support for his Iraq policy and that Americans are questioning why he is optimistic about success. He said he could "understand people being disheartened" but appealed to Americans to look beyond the bloodshed and see signs of progress.
In particular, Bush pointed to success in stabilizing an insurgent stronghold in Tal Afar, a northern Iraqi city of 200,000 near the Syrian border.
"The strategy that worked so well in Tal Afar did not emerge overnight," Bush said. "It took time to understand and adjust to the brutality of the enemy in Iraq."
"The example of Tal Afar gives me confidence in our strategy," the president said.
More than 2,300 Americans have died in three years of war in Iraq. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BUSH?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-03-21-09-02-57
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