Bush praises Rumsfeld following briefing at Pentagon

US President George W. President Bush praised Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during a public appearance at the Pentagon on Monday saying his defense secretary was "doing a superb job."

"Thank you for your leadership," Bush said in a statement delivered after a closed briefing on Iraq by Rumsfeld and other senior military leaders, which Bush said focused on "the needs of our military personnel, the status of current operations in Iraq, and the progress of that nation towards security and sovereignty."

Bush's public support came when Rumsfeld was facing growing pressure to resign since the scandal of abusing Iraqi detainees byUS soldiers was made public late last month.

"You are doing a superb job. You are a strong secretary of defense, and our nation owes you a debt of gratitude," he said.

In his statement, Bush talked about the abuse scandal that has caused an uproar around the world. "There will be a full accounting for the cruel and disgraceful abuse of Iraqi detainees," he said.

The president acknowledged that the scandal had damaged America's image and reputation abroad. "Those responsible for these abuses have caused harm that goes well beyond the walls of a prison. It has given some an excuse to question our cause and to cast doubt on our motives," he said.

Actions in the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad did not reflect the "character" of the more than 200,000 military personalwho have served in Iraq, he argued.

Bush also urged the Congress to approve a 25 billion US dollarsrequest to fund the ongoing operations in Iraq, and promised that his administration would stick to the plan to turn over sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government on June 30.

Meanwhile, the Senate was planning on Monday another hearing onthe prisoner abuse issue on Tuesday, to hear testimonies from witnesses including Antonio Taguba, author of an investigation report about the abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison.

Source: Xinhua