President Bush asserted Monday that he would not postpone the June 30 transfer of power in Iraq, as the administration gave an understated public reaction to flaring violence in that country and some of the heaviest fighting since Saddam Hussein’s fall. Bush and his press secretary blamed the Shiite resistance in Baghdad — where bloody clashes killed scores over the weekend — on the work of “one man,” cleric Moqtada Sadr, who helped trigger a Shiite Muslim uprising. And except for a seven-minute exchange with reporters that was added to his schedule to address the turmoil, the president went about his schedule, including his last fundraiser for his reelection campaign and an appearance at a baseball game in St. Louis. “The intention is to make sure the deadline remains the same,” Bush said when asked about the scheduled transfer of civilian authority from the U.S.-led coalition to Iraqis on June 30. “The date remains firm.”Full Story
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