January 12, 2007	Friday	Zilhaj 21, 1427

WASHINGTON, Jan 11: In a speech to his nation that differed sharply in both tone and substance from his previous claims that America was winning the war in Iraq, President George W. Bush publicly acknowledged that mistakes have been made and he was responsible for these mistakes.

Mr Bush sounded a warning to the Iraqi government, saying the American people’s support was not open-ended. “ The Iraqi government will have to do more to retain US support.”

He conceded for the first time that he provided neither enough troops nor enough resources last year to halt Iraq’s descent into chaos, and that he pursued a strategy based on flawed assumptions about the shaky Iraqi government.

“Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me,” acknowledged Mr Bush in a tone betraying a fear that he may go down in history as a president who lost an important war.

There’s no confident-sounding insistence that America was making progress in building a workable democracy, as he did in his previous speeches on Iraq.

Instead, he admitted that “the violence in Iraq -- particularly in Baghdad -- overwhelmed the political gains the Iraqis had made” and that the country was pushed into a “vicious cycle of sectarian violence that continues today.”

Within minutes of Mr Bush finishing the speech, the Democratic leadership issued a joint statement claiming his policy would endanger national security because it further over-extended US forces, reducing their ability to operate elsewhere.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker, said: "The American people have lost confidence in the president's policy." She confirmed a vote would be held, possibly as early as next week, on a resolution expressing lack of support for Mr Bush’s new policy.

Senator Dick Durbin, the Democratic majority whip, reminded Mr Bush that he had repeatedly claimed the US was winning the war but the speech had made clear what every American knew to be true: that the US was not winning.

Mr Bush, who is never shy of stoking new conflicts, not only laid out a plan for winning the war in Iraq but also singled out Iran and Syria as America’s two major enemies in the region.

He vowed to cut off Iranian and Syrian support to "terrorists" in Iraq, which many in Washington interpreted as indicating that the United States may order air strikes on Iranian and Syrian targets.

He appeared particularly upset with Iran, alleging that Tehran was supporting elements intent on attacking US troops in Iraq..

Success in Iraq was linked with success in stabilising the broader region, Mr Bush said, adding: "This begins with addressing Iran and Syria."

"These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops," the president said.

"We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria.

"And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq."

Mr Bush said he had ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group and Patriot anti-missile systems in the Middle East to beef up regional security and "reassure our friends and allies".

The US has rapidly upgraded the capability of the Patriot systems which provide air and missile defence following their relatively little success in the first Gulf War.

Washington is now trying to market the weapon to several Middle East nations increasingly worried about their security.

Mr Bush also referred to the Iranian nuclear programme in his speech, saying that the United States will work with its allies “to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region.”

Mr Bush warned Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf States that they needed to understand that an American defeat in Iraq would "create a new sanctuary for extremists - and a strategic threat to their survival".

"These nations have a stake in a successful Iraq that is at peace with its neighbours - and they must step up their support for Iraq's unity government," he said.

To help achieve stability in Iraq, Mr Bush said he is sending more than 20,000 additional troops to the country who will work with the Iraqi government to defeat insurgents.

He also proposed expanding the number of US advisers embedded in Iraqi security forces.

His critics immediately pointed out that Mr Bush is asking the Iraqi government to achieve what they have already failed to do.

The critics recalled that in many cases, Iraqi troops and police were found involved in carrying out sectarian attacks. Mr Bush acknowledged that his strategy will not yield immediate results but hoped that it would ultimately succeed in bringing stability to Iraq.