Michael Bluth
03-23-2003, 08:35 PM
WASHINGTON - President Bush demanded Sunday that any American troops held captive in Iraq be treated humanely and said he was pleased with the progress of the war.
"Saddam Hussein is losing control of his country," Bush said.
"It's going to take a while to achieve our objective, but we're on course, we're determined, and we're making good progress," Bush said.
Bush spoke to reporters shortly after an Arab satellite station aired footage from Iraqi television of interviews with what the station identified as captured American prisoners. Also shown were bodies in uniform in an Iraqi morgue that the station said were Americans.
Bush, returning to the White House from Camp David, said he did not have all the details, but expected that Iraq treat any prisoners "humanely, just like we'll treat any Iraqi prisoners."
He said at a church service at Camp David that he and Laura Bush had mourned for all those killed in the war and had "asked God's comfort" for those grieving.
The president sought to brace the country for what could be drawn-out military action.
"There's pockets of resistance, but we're making good progress," Bush said. "This is just the beginning of a tough fight."
"We're slowly but surely achieving our objective," Bush said. "We're just in the beginning phases. We're executing a plan."
Asked whether there was a possibility of an Iraqi surrender, he said: "All I know is we got a game plan, a strategy to free the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein and rid his country" of weapons of mass destruction.
Bush said he was thankful "the enemy has not used" any such weapons.
The president suggested it was too late for the Iraqi leader to give up power — the condition Bush set last week for Iraq to avoid war. "He had his chance to go into exile," Bush said.
But he promised that "massive amounts" of humanitarian aid were poised to move into Iraq in the next 36 hours.
"That's going to be positive news for those who suffered a long time under Saddam Hussein," he said.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20030323/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_bush
"Saddam Hussein is losing control of his country," Bush said.
"It's going to take a while to achieve our objective, but we're on course, we're determined, and we're making good progress," Bush said.
Bush spoke to reporters shortly after an Arab satellite station aired footage from Iraqi television of interviews with what the station identified as captured American prisoners. Also shown were bodies in uniform in an Iraqi morgue that the station said were Americans.
Bush, returning to the White House from Camp David, said he did not have all the details, but expected that Iraq treat any prisoners "humanely, just like we'll treat any Iraqi prisoners."
He said at a church service at Camp David that he and Laura Bush had mourned for all those killed in the war and had "asked God's comfort" for those grieving.
The president sought to brace the country for what could be drawn-out military action.
"There's pockets of resistance, but we're making good progress," Bush said. "This is just the beginning of a tough fight."
"We're slowly but surely achieving our objective," Bush said. "We're just in the beginning phases. We're executing a plan."
Asked whether there was a possibility of an Iraqi surrender, he said: "All I know is we got a game plan, a strategy to free the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein and rid his country" of weapons of mass destruction.
Bush said he was thankful "the enemy has not used" any such weapons.
The president suggested it was too late for the Iraqi leader to give up power — the condition Bush set last week for Iraq to avoid war. "He had his chance to go into exile," Bush said.
But he promised that "massive amounts" of humanitarian aid were poised to move into Iraq in the next 36 hours.
"That's going to be positive news for those who suffered a long time under Saddam Hussein," he said.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20030323/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_bush