From the ITV News, Jan. 15 (emphasis added):

US President George W Bush said Iraqi people should be grateful to the US for the 2003 invasion and the removal of Saddam Hussein.

He accepted that the conflict, which has cost tens of thousands of lives, had destabilised Iraq but insisted getting rid of Saddam was essential.

"We liberated that country from a tyrant. I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of gratitude," he said.

Mr Bush announced last week he will send 21,500 more troops to Iraq to halt violence, mainly around Baghdad, as an essential step toward stabilising the country's government.

He hoped the move would lead to some unity or that the White House would at least get an extended hearing before legislative leaders made up their minds.

But it encountered majority opposition in Congress and a public that rejected the military and political ideas in opinion polls.

"I'm not going to try to be popular and change principles to do so,"said Mr Bush said when asked about his standing with the public.

And he rejected claims that his administration had misled the US public on Iraq.

"I really am not the kind of guy that sits here and says, 'Oh gosh, I'm worried about my legacy'," he said.

See our last post on Iraq.