Q Senator McCain, in his comments yesterday, said that the American people had been led to believe by the administration that the Iraq war would be a "day at the beach." Does that concern the White House? Do you feel that you're losing support among Republicans?

MS. PERINO: I think it's important to look back at what President Bush has said from the beginning. If you look at what he has said, starting even in March of 2003, that, "Helping Iraqis achieve a united, stable, and free country will require our sustained commitment." Throughout the year, since we've been in Iraq, he has called it -- he has said that it is difficult work to do, going to require sacrifice and patience, prevailing in Iraq is going to require much more tough fighting, it's going to require more sacrifice, and he's thankful for the sacrifices that the military and military families are making. It's puzzling to me that McCain's comments yesterday are getting so much attention today when if you look over the past couple of months, Senator McCain has made similar comments. He is a Senator who is not shy about sharing his views. That's one of the reasons he is such a unique figure in American politics, and also one of the most popular. And he shares, however, a commitment with the President that we win Iraq, and he understands the struggle that we're in. The President appreciates his support. The President has never made the comments that you referred to. Any time that the President has felt a need to acknowledge mistakes in the war on Iraq, he has done so. And other members of his administration, they can speak for themselves. And I know that the Vice President has repeatedly been asked about comments that he's made in the past, and he's answered them. So I don't understand why we're going back over all this ground now.

seen at 01:49, 23 August in Whitehouse Press Briefings. Email this to a friend.
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