Bush Offers Plan to End Chaos in Iraq(end eroding confidence in his leader

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bush25may25.story

Bush Offers Plan to End Chaos in Iraq (end eroding confidence in his leadership)
In speech at war college, president seeks to stem loss of confidence in his leadership. He expresses humility and pledges to raze Abu Ghraib jail.
By Maura Reynolds and Mary Curtius
Times Staff Writers

May 25, 2004

CARLISLE, Pa. — Seeking to shore up eroding public confidence in his leadership, President Bush told the American people Monday night that he has a strategy to turn Iraq's violence and chaos into stability and democracy. <snip>

The president did not dwell on the prison abuse scandal, which has eroded U.S. credibility around the world and sapped morale at home. But in a symbolic gesture, Bush pledged to demolish the notorious Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, where Saddam Hussein tortured thousands and U.S. soldiers took part in abuse of prisoners that the Red Cross has called "tantamount to torture."<snip>

Bush did not announce a change in course or provide new details of how he expected the transition to proceed. But for the first time, he personally described his approach.

"There are five steps in our plan to help Iraq achieve democracy and freedom," Bush said. "We will hand over authority to a sovereign Iraqi government, help establish security, continue rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure, encourage more international support, and move toward a national election that will bring forward new leaders empowered by the Iraqi people."<snip>

But Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, an independent Washington think tank, said, "There's a difference between being self-confident and being inspirational." The president, Alterman said, "was really self-confident, but I'm not sure how many people outside the U.S. he inspired tonight." <snip>

"It took 25 minutes before he even focused on the United Nations, and even longer before he focused on Iraqi elections, which are a long one and a half years away," Boxer said. "And I ask how many of our people will die until then? How much terror will we have to fear until then? And how many more billions of dollars will we have to spend?"<snip>

[papau]

1. link to actual UN resolution

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1224148,00.html

Draft UN resolution on an interim government for Iraq

Tabled by Britain and the United States

Tuesday May 25, 2004

The Security Council,
Recalling its previous relevant resolutions on Iraq, in particular resolutions 1483 (2003) and 1511 (2003),

Reaffirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq,

Recognizing the importance of international support, particularly that of countries in the region, Iraq's neighbors and regional organizations, for the people of Iraq in their efforts to achieve security and prosperity,