President Bush says his victory in the November election was validation of his policies on Iraq. In an interview with the Washington Post newspaper published on Sunday, Mr. Bush said there was no reason to hold any administration officials accountable for mistakes or misjudgments on Iraq. In the president's words, "We had an accountability moment ... called the 2004 election." He said the American people listened to different assessments about Iraq, looked at the two main candidates, then chose him. The president has been conducting a series of interviews in advance of his inauguration to a second term on Thursday. Mr. Bush told the Post it is premature to say when the number of U.S. troops in Iraq will be reduced. He said the sooner Iraqis are prepared to fight to terrorists on their soil, the sooner U.S. troops can start coming home.
