President George W. Bush yesterday said he was optimistic that the Iraqi government could provide security for its people. I appreciate the fact that the Iraqi government is anxious to get security inside the capital of their country. It is a good sign, Bush said at the White House. It's a good sign that there's a sense of concern and anxiety. It means the government understands that it has a responsibility to protect their people. And we want to help them. Bush said the surge of U.S. troops to Iraq will provide the Iraqi government a chance to take advantage of stability to move the political process forward. We'd like to do it as quickly as possible, Bush said. The success of that plan is going to depend upon the capacity and willingness of the Iraqis to do hard work. We want to help them do that work. Bush took heart in Iraqi leaders calls for stability in Iraq. It shows that they understand that now is the time to do the things necessary to protect their people, he said. There will be no timetable set for withdrawal, Bush added. Bush sent a $2.90 trillion spending plan to the Democratic-controlled Congress, proposing a big increase in military spending, including billions more to fight the war in Iraq, while squeezing the rest of government to meet his goal of eliminating the deficit in five years.
