Iraqis Angered by Bush's Remarks in Speech

[ECH1969]

Iraqis expressed anger with President Bush's pledge in his State of the Union address to stay the course in Iraq, while others said they believed the Americans had little choice but to stick it out to prevent civil war.

Abdul-Halim al-Rihaimi, an Iraqi political commentator, said the United States had little choice but to stand fast in Iraq or the country would descend into civil war between Sunni Arabs and Shiites.

He said American forces should stay until Iraqi police and soldiers are ready to deal with extremist groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, or Saddam Hussein loyalists from the Baath Party underground.

Businessman Thair al-Obaidi, 50, criticized both the United States and the militants for fighting out their war in his country. "President Bush and his adversaries like al-Zarqawi and (Osama) bin Laden are always showing off their muscle with such statements against each other, but the only loser of this is the Iraqi citizen," al-Obaidi said.

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