Speaking to reporters in Chicago on Monday, President Bush claimed that 'incremental progress' was being made in Iraq and urged Americans to have patience since 'more days of challenge and loss' lie ahead.
'Our progress is incremental,' Bush insisted. 'Freedom is moving, but it's in incremental steps and the enemy's progress is almost instant on their TV screens.'
Bush indicated he was very pleased about the swearing in of the new Iraqi government this past weekend, calling it 'a watershed event' for the Middle East and 'a turning in the struggle between freedom and terror.'
'Our nation's been through three difficult years in Iraq,' Bush conceded. 'And the way forward will bring more days of challenge and loss. The progress we've made has been hard fought and it's been incremental. There have been setbacks and missteps like Abu Ghraib. They were felt immediately and have been difficult to overcome.'
Mr. Bush hailed the new Iraqi government saying, 'The world saw the beginning of something new — constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle East. This is a free government under a democratic constitution and its formation marks a victory for the cause of freedom in the Middle East.'
Bush also indicated that British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be coming to the White House later this week to discuss the situation in Iraq. The leaders are expected to discuss the future of Iraq and perhaps begin to focus on the eventual withdrawal of coalition troops from that embattled nation.
Bush also took the occasion to encourage the new Iraqi government to help factions in that fractured nation to work together. 'They also understand that representing all Iraqis and not just narrow sectarian interests, they will be able to make a decisive break with the past and make a future of progress and opportunity for all of their people a reality,' the president said. 'The unity government must now seize this moment and pursue a common agenda for the future.'
Whether or not the new government can calm the ongoing sectarian violence in Iraq remains to be seen.
