Bush defends Iraq war, says citizens have seen 'tangible progress in their lives'

WASHINGTON -- Defending his strategy in Iraq, President Bush said Wednesday that reconstruction has been "uneven" but spreading economic progress is giving people hope for a democratic future.\nIn particular, Bush cited Najaf, 90 miles south of Baghdad, and Mosul in northern Iraq -- once the sites of some of the bloodiest battles of the war -- as two cities where headway is being made, giving Iraqis more of a stake in their country's future.\n"In places like Mosul and Najaf, residents are seeing tangible progress in their lives," Bush said. "They're gaining a personal stake in a peaceful future and their confidence in Iraq's democracy is growing. The progress in these cities is being replicated across much of Iraq. And more of Iraq's people are seeing the real benefits that a democratic society can bring."\nBush's speech was the second in a series of four to answer criticism and questions about the continuing U.S. presence in Iraq more than two-and-a-half years after the war started.\nWhile Bush talked about reconstruction projects and the reopening of schools, markets and hospitals, and the upgrading of roads and the growth of construction jobs in the two cities, he also acknowledged that both cities still face challenges.\n"Iraqis are beginning to see that a free life will be a better life," Bush said. "Reconstruction has not always gone as well as we had hoped, primarily because of the security challenges on the ground. Rebuilding a nation devastated by a dictator is a large undertaking."\nHouse Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi suggested that Bush was out of touch with reality in Iraq. "Just because he says things are improving there, doesn't make it so," the California Democrat said.\nAfter a caucus meeting about Iraq, she and other Democrats in leadership sought to project a unified front on the war, even though they disagree over just when U.S. troops should return home.\nIn his speech, Bush acknowledged that there's still plenty of work left to do in cities like Najaf and Mosul.\n"Like most of Iraq, the reconstruction in Najaf has proceeded with fits and starts since liberation," he said. "It's been uneven. Sustaining electric power remains a major challenge."\n"Security in Najaf has improved substantially but threats remain," Bush added. "There are still kidnappings and militias and armed gangs are exerting more influence than they should in a free society."\nCritics of the administration's reconstruction strategy in Iraq say not enough has been done since the U.S.-led invasion to reduce unemployment, step up oil production and keep the lights on.