“If I did not think America’s mission in Iraq was vital to our security, I’d bring out troops home tomorrow.”
Those with BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) won’t believe that but I do think — whatever Bush’s faults — he acts primarily out of deeply felt conviction.
I’m a bit surprised that he’s making this speech at a press conference. The danger is that an answer to a question, ad-libbed and possibly not well constructed, will eclipse the messages he’s trying to drive through his speech.