Bush promotes war, candidate in Missouri

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) -- President Bush accused Democrats of waving "the white flag of surrender" with proposals that would bring the troops home from Iraq and insisted that he will keep combat forces fighting as long as they are needed to achieve victory.

Offering a spirited defense of his national security policies, Bush also said there was "no excuse" for newspapers to disclose a secret government program that tracked millions of financial records in search of terrorist suspects. Bush said the program had been a vital tool in the war on terror when it was reported last week in the media.

"There can be no excuse for anyone entrusted with vital intelligence to leak it, and no excuse for any newspaper to print it," Bush said. Bush's statement, which he read from a piece of paper during a speech at a political fundraiser, won a standing ovation from the Republican faithful who paid nearly $1 million to hear him speak.

With opposition to the war threatening to hurt the GOP in this fall's congressional elections, Bush gave an impassioned plea for voters to re-elect Republicans who have supported his national security policies. He repeatedly pointed his finger in the air to emphasize his points and at several points his voice rose to a shout.

"Make no mistake about it, there's a group in the opposition party who are willing to retreat before the mission is done," Bush said. "They're willing to wave the white flag of surrender. And if they succeed, the United States will be worse off and the world will be worse off.">>>>snip



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She said there was a good size protest, the media reported between 200 to 300.

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