Reply #17: Bush highlights Iraq elections, US economy in 2005

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

By Tabassum Zakaria
48 minutes ago

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President George W. Bush wound down a difficult year plagued by instability in Iraq and political scandal in Washington by citing progress toward democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan and a strong U.S. economy.

:spray:

In his weekly radio address on Saturday, New Year's Eve, Bush said "2005 has been a year of strong progress toward a freer, more peaceful world and a more prosperous America."

But it was a year in which Bush faced sharp criticism for his handling of the Iraq war, methods for fighting terrorism, and the administration's slow response to Hurricane Katrina.

Bush, who advocates spreading democracy in the Middle East, praised the elections in Iraq and Afghanistan, and pledged that the United States would not abandon the two countries.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051231/pl_nm/bush_dc