President Bush on Thursday likened terrorists in Iraq to Soviets who crushed the Hungarian Revolution 50 years ago and said victory now, as then, “will require sacrifice and continued patience.”
The president made the remarks during a speech in Budapest that paid tribute to Hungarians for rising up against communism unsuccessfully in 1956 and successfully in 1989. He said such determination can be found in Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Malaki, whom Bush visited in Baghdad last week.
“Prime Minister Maliki is committed to the democratic ideals that also inspired Hungarian patriots in 1956 and 1989,” Bush said atop a hill overlooking Budapest. “We will continue to help Iraq take its rightful place alongside America and Hungary as beacons of liberty in our world.”
The remarks came as Vice President Dick Cheney criticized Democrats for demanding a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The Senate defeated two Democratic redeployment proposals Wednesday.
“The worst possible thing we could do is what the Democrats are suggesting,” Cheney told CNN. “And no matter how you carve it, you can call it anything you want, but basically it is packing it in, going home, persuading and convincing and validating the theory that the Americans don’t have the stomach for this fight.”
He pointed out that such a theory has been advanced by Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader who masterminded the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“He made speeches where he, in effect, argued that the Americans didn’t have the stomach for a fight, that ultimately the terrorists would win, al-Qaida would win,” Cheney said.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean tried to counter the fact that members of his party are deeply divided about whether and when to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
“Democrats remain united and will not allow President Bush to leave the problems in Iraq to the next administration,” Dean said on Wednesday. “We will hold President Bush accountable and ensure that 2006 is a year of significant transition so that our troops can come home.”
