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 News from Around the Americas | November 2005 
Bush Fires Parting Shot at Iraq Critics
 Terence Hunt - Associated Press
| | South Korean demonstrators hold placcards against both the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and US President George W. Bush. Bush's policies and his administration have been destabilizing for Asia with Washington seen as a bully, according to a poll of senior foreign business executives working in the region. (AFP/Song Yu-Jung) |
Washington - President George W. Bush is firing a parting shot at Iraq war critics as he heads to Asia with hopes of improving his image on the world stage.
Bush was stopping in Alaska and speaking to troops at Elmendorf Air Force Base during a refueling stop for Air Force One on the first leg of an eight-day journey to Japan, South Korea, China and Mongolia.
He was expected to defend himself against Democrats' criticism that he manipulated intelligence and misled the American people about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction as he sought grounds to go to war against Saddam Hussein in 2003. In a speech on Friday, Bush said his critics were "deeply irresponsible" and were making "false charges."
Iraq and a host of other problems, from the bungled response to Hurricane Katrina to the indictment of a senior White House official in a CIA leak investigation, have taken a heavy toll on the president. Nearing the end of his fifth year in office, Bush has the lowest approval rating of his presidency and a majority of Americans say Bush is not honest and they disapprove of his handling of foreign policy and the war on terrorism.
Bush is expected to get a warmer welcome in Asia than he did earlier this month in Argentina at the Summit of the Americas, where Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez led a protest against U.S. policies and Bush failed to gain support from the 34 nations attending for a hemisphere-wide free trade zone.
Japan, the first stop on Bush's trip, and Mongolia, the last, are likely to give him the most enthusiastic response, while China and South Korea probably will be cooler but respectful.
In South Korea, Bush also will attend the Asia Pacific Economic Conference summit in Busan, where 21 member states are expected to agree to support global free-trade talks. The summit also is expected to agree to put early-warning and information-sharing systems in place in case of bird flu outbreaks.
White House officials lowered expectations for the trip. "He's not looking for any specific deliverables or specific outcomes," National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said. The most important objective is to underscore U.S. interest and influence in Asia in the face of China's growing economic and military might.
"It is good for the president to show up in Asia and say, `We care about Asia,' because that is in doubt in the region," said Ed Lincoln, senior fellow in Asia and Economic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
At Bush's first stop, in Kyoto, Japan, the president will deliver what aides bill as the speech of the trip on the power of democracy, not only to better individual lives but contribute to the long-term prosperity of nations.
The remarks aimed at China will hold up such nations as Japan, Australia and South Korea as models because of their strong democratic traditions and willingness to help establish democracy in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.
"There's going to be a lot of change in Chinese society and these are things that will help the Chinese move forward," Mike Green, senior director for Asia at the White House's National Security Council, said in describing the message.
Bush also is expected to use the trip to press China to revalue its currency, reduce its vast trade surplus with the United States and curb the piracy of American movies, software and other copyright material.
China's leadership in six-party talks with North Korea aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions also will be a key topic when Bush meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing.
Since Japan and South Korea are also U.S. partners in those negotiations, Bush will also be working the issue when he sits down with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Kyoto and spends a day with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun ahead of the APEC meetings. |
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