Failure is unthinkable Bush tells America

A defiant President Bush today placed Iraq at the heart of his reelection campaign after warning that failure was "unthinkable".

Amid a rising tide of violence that has led to the deaths of dozens of US troops and hundreds of Iraqis, Mr Bush put his case to the American people in a rare televised press conference from the White House. Despite a recent slump in his opinion poll ratings, the president insisted: "I don't plan losing my job."

And he added: "I've got a plan to win the war on terror," saying he believed voters would "stay with me," and adding: "They understand the stakes.'' Mr Bush looked tired and was in sombre mood during his appearance, which came during one of the toughest periods of his administration.

He admitted that "nobody likes to see dead people on their television screens,'' adding: "It's a tough time for the American people. It's gutwrenching. One of the hardest parts of my job is to console the family members." But

he said he had promised "never to allow our youngsters to die in vain," warning that pulling out from Iraq "would be just that, and it's not going to happen on my watch."

Referring to November's election, Mr Bush said: "The American people may decide to change. That's democracy. I look forward to making my case.'' Mr Bush dismissed the violent uprising of the past weeks as "a power grab by extreme and ruthless elements", saying: "They want to run us out of Iraq and destroy the democratic hopes of the Iraqi people. It's not a civil war. It's not a popular uprising. Most of Iraq is relatively stable. Most Iraqis reject violence and oppose dictatorship.

"Iraq is the place in which the enemies of the civilised world are testing the will of the civilised world. We must not waver." He dismissed comparisons with Vietnam as false, saying it "sends the wrong message to our troops and sends a wrong message to the enemy".

The president also rejected calls to postpone the handover of sovereignty on 30 June, saying: "Many Iraqis would question our intentions and feel their hopes betrayed" if it was put off. He pledged there would be elections by 15 December next year that would "mark the the completion of Iraq's transition from dictatorship to freedom".

In a significant concession to his critics in the international community, Mr Bush said he would also seek a new United Nations resolution for the reconstruction of Iraq.

But he rejected claims made during hearings by the independent commission into September 11 that his administration could have prevented the terrorist attacks.

"The country just wasn't on a war footing," Mr Bush said. "That's just a reality."