Americans backed Iraq war at ballot box: Bush

Iraqis, holding up a lantern and pictures of radical Shia Muslim leader Sheikh Moqtada Sadr, take part in a protest in front of the Oil Ministry in Baghdad yesterday against scarcity of fuel and its high prices. PHOTO: AFP

In an extensive interview with The Washington Post published yesterday, days before the start of his second term, Bush was asked why no US official has been held accountable for faulty intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, or for underestimating the difficulty of winning the peace there.

"Well, we had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 election," Bush said. "And the American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and they chose me, for which I'm grateful."

Bush could not say whether the number of US troops in Iraq would be significantly reduced by the end of his second four year term, and said he was "realistic" about the amount of time required for an oppressed society to make the transition to democracy.

"I am realistic about how quickly a society that has been dominated by a tyrant can become a democracy. And therefore I am more patient than some," Bush said, adding that "we've got to get the Iraqis up and running as quickly as possible, so they can defeat these terrorists."

Meanwhile, Iraq's interim government unveiled a security plan for election day, as the discovery of 18 executed Iraqis on roadsides across the country underscored the insurgency's ability to plunge the vote into chaos.

Thirteen corpses were discovered near Latifiyah, a rebel stronghold south of Baghdad, which the US-led multinational forces swept less than two months ago, witnesses said.