(September 26, 2006)—President Bush said Tuesday he will declassify a National Intelligence Estimate that concludes the war with Iraq has worsened terrorism.

At a White House news conference with Afghanistan's president, Mr. Bush said if the US were not in Iraq, another "excuse" would be found to explain the motivation of terrorists.

It was not immediately clear whether the president intends to declassify the full report, or just portions.

The report, details of which were revealed in a New York Times article on Sunday, says the nation’s spy agencies don't think the Iraq war has reduced the threat of terrorism.

In fact, they concluded that the war has contributed to an increased threat.

Mr. Bush calls that "naive" and says he "strongly" disagrees that the war was a mistake.

He says people are reaching that conclusion by guessing what's in the repot and he says the leaked part of the report doesn't tell the full story.

The president contends the leak was made for political purposes just weeks before Election Day. Democrats have used that to bolster
their criticism of the administration's Iraq policy.

Mr. Bush says he will do "whatever it takes" to protect the US, and that the best way to do that is to defeat terrorists overseas.

Mr. Bush spoke at a White House news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The National Intelligence Estimate, which represents a consensus view of the 16 spy services inside the government, is classified, but an intelligence official confirmed reports of the account published Sunday.

The report finds that the war helped create a new generation of Islamic radicalism, and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the 9/11 attacks.

Earlier US intelligence chief John Negroponte denied the Iraq war has increased the terrorism threat to the United States, despite charges that the war is fueling Islamist militancy worldwide.

"I think we could safely say that we are safer and that the threat to the homeland itself has, if anything, been reduced since 9/11," the US director of national intelligence said in response to the report Sunday.

"We are more vigilant. We are better prepared," he said at a Washington dinner late Monday.

Click Here For White House Web Site

More News >>Sports >> Weather >>