Bush: Better intelligence to come from 9/11 commission report
 |  Barbara Bush listens as her father, President Bush, speaks in Waukesha, Wisconsin. |
| |
|  VIDEO |
 CNN's Ed Henry reports on the same-sex marriage amendment debate.
 CNN's Bill Schneider looks at the hot topics in this year's presidential election.
 CNN's Tom Foreman reports on the divide between liberals and conservatives.
|
|
FOND DU LAC, Wisconsin (CNN) -- President Bush said Wednesday he is convinced that a better U.S. intelligence system will result from the findings of the independent commission that studied the September 11 attacks.
Bush again defended his decision to attack Iraq, even though there have been no weapons of mass destruction found to support his primary justification to go to war.
Bush was accompanied by his daughter Barbara, who, along with her twin sister, have begun working in their father's campaign. Bush arrived in Fond du Lac from Milwaukee, and was headed for Ashwaubenon, near Green Bay, for a rally.
"We will complete our mission in Iraq because a free Iraq is in this country's interest," Bush told employees and guests at Mid-States Aluminum Corp. in Fond du Lac. "A free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East is in the interest of the United States of America."
In its report last month, the bipartisan panel probing the attacks said CIA intelligence that boosted support for the war was faulty, although Bush argued that Congress and the U.N. Security Council all agreed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was a threat.
The 10-member 9/11 Commission, formally known as the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also said it found no evidence of an "operational relationship" between al Qaeda and Iraq under Saddam's rule, and no sign that Iraq played any role in the September 11 attacks.
"I know we did the right thing for security and for the country," Bush said of the war. "I am convinced that out of the recent investigations will come a better system."
Where is bin Laden?
Asked by an audience member about the possible whereabouts of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Bush replied, "If I knew, I wouldn't tell you," adding that would be information for the armed forces to pursue.
"My best guess is the remote regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan," Bush said. But al Qaeda remains a danger even without the visible presence of bin Laden, he added.
"The organization has the ability to exist without his presence," and there are cells all over the world, he said.
Bush said he suspects that terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was behind was behind Wednesday's car bombing near Baghdad's Green Zone that killed 10 people.
U.S. intelligence officials suspect Zarqawi's network is an al Qaeda affiliate, and it is blamed for numerous attacks on U.S. troops and Iraqi and American civilians since Saddam Hussein's ouster.
Bush said fighting terrorism will continue to be his priority.
"I hope you've got a sense that I want the job for four more years, and I've got a plan to make sure the country is safer, stronger and better -- that I know where I want to leave this country," he said.
The president said two-thirds of suspected al Qaeda leaders have been brought to justice, but didn't elaborate.
Funding faith-based groups
On another issue, Bush repeated his belief that faith-based groups should receive federal funding for their work with drug addicts and other community problems.
"Sometimes, a lot of times, in order to change your ways, you have to change your heart. If you change your heart, you're more likely to change your habits," he said.
"The government is not love. Government is law and justice. Love comes from religious congregations of all faiths. So when we talk about getting people off drugs, this government must not fear welcoming faith-based programs," Bush said.
"We ought not to fear faith. We ought to welcome faith," he said.
On other issues, Bush said:
-- The income tax breaks that are set to expire should be made permanent to help individuals and small businesses, which create most jobs.
"You need to have a president who understands that the role of government is not to create wealth. The role of government is to create an environment in which the entrepreneur and small businessman and farmer can flourish -- and that is me."
-- The No Child Left Behind Act he promoted challenges "the soft bigotry of low expectations. If you believe a child can't learn, he won't."
-- Limits should be placed on medical malpractice lawsuits, which, he said, are forcing some doctors to abandon their professions, and an electronic medical records system should be encouraged.
Mid-States Aluminum has 352 employees, 73 of whom were hired this year, said its president and CEO, Joe Colwin. He said said the company has benefited from Bush's tax cuts, and it plans to spend more than $6 million in the next 14 months for expansion and new equipment.
