Bush Backs Rumsfeld in Hiding of Iraq Prisoner [View All]

[Barrett808]

Bush Backs Rumsfeld in Hiding of Iraq Prisoner
By Charles Aldinger

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush voiced support for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Thursday after the Pentagon said Rumsfeld ordered the detention of a terrorist suspect in Iraq who was held for more than seven months without notifying the Red Cross.

"I'm never disappointed in my secretary of defense. He's doing a fabulous job and America's lucky to have him in the position he's in," Bush told reporters at the White House when asked if he was disappointed at Rumsfeld's move.

"The secretary and I discussed that for the first time this morning," added Bush, sitting next to Rumsfeld. He noted that the secretary had called a news conference later in the day and would address the issue.

Bush has stood firmly by Rumsfeld amid continuing calls for his resignation from some Democrats in Congress and other critics, who say the U.S. invasion of Iraq was not justified and that the Pentagon was ill-prepared to deal with the violence that has continued in that country.

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