Raw Story : Bush: 'We're not leaving so long as I'm president'

Bush: 'We're not leaving so long as I'm president'

RAW STORY | Published: Monday August 21, 2006

US President George W. Bush has announced that the United States will not be leaving Iraq during his presidency, RAW STORY has learned.

"Either you say, 'Yes it’s important we stay there and get it done,' or we leave," Bush argued. "We’re not leaving so long as I’m the president. That would be a huge mistake."

At a news conference today, Bush also conceded that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction.

Bush opened his remarks at 10 AM, announcing that the nation would be offering $230 million in aid to Lebanon. The president also called for fast deployment of an international peacekeeping force.

Late in the conference, when asked what Iraq's role was in the World Trade Center attacks, the president said, "Nothing."

But he went on to suggest that by overthrowing Saddam Hussein's regime, the United States could forestall future acts of terrorism by defeating resentment with hope, "and the best way to do hope is through a form of government."

A full transcript of the president's remarks