Bush does about-face on war critics

Attention, right-wing bloggers:

New talking points, from the Commander in Chief himself, who must have seen some new polling.

You might want to go back and edit some of the vitriol you spewed in the last 72 hours.

Bush Tones Down Attack on Iraq War Critics
By TERENCE HUNT,
AP White House Correspondent

BEIJING - After fiercely defending his Iraq policy across Asia, President Bush abruptly toned down his attack on war critics Sunday and said there was nothing unpatriotic about opposing his strategy.

"People should feel comfortable about expressing their opinions about Iraq," Bush said, three days after agreeing with Vice President Dick Cheney that the critics were "reprehensible."

The president also praised Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., as "a fine man" and a strong supporter of the military despite the congressman's call for troop withdrawal as soon as possible. . .

"I heard somebody say, `Well, maybe so-and-so is not patriotic because they disagree with my position.' I totally reject that thought," Bush said.

"This is not an issue of who's patriotic and who's not patriotic," he said. "It's an issue of an honest, open debate about the way forward in Iraq."

The whole story.