Source:
ap Bush defends troop buildup in Iraq
By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer 7 minutes ago
SYDNEY, Australia - President Bush vigorously defended his troop buildup in Iraq on Wednesday, and got a boost when Australian Prime Minister John Howard said his country's forces there won't change for the foreseeable future.
"Our commitment to Iraq remains," pledged Howard, one of Bush's few remaining staunch war allies. "This is not the time for any proposals of a scaling down of Australian forces." The two men spoke at a news conference.
Bush, his voice rising before he had even been asked a question about the war, spoke forcefully about the 30,000 additional American troops he sent to Iraq this year. His decision raised troop levels in Iraq to about 160,000.
"If I didn't think we could succeed, I wouldn't have our troops there," he said.
Bush said it was important "that we hang in there with the Iraqis and help them."
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