Prometheus 6

Bush Legacy Hinges on Success in Iraq - Powell
Fri Jul 16, 2004 06:56 PM ET
By Saul Hudson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush's legacy hangs on overcoming the insurgency in Iraq and creating a democracy there, his top foreign policy adviser said on Friday.

Bush, who is campaigning for reelection as a resolute war president, has fallen in the polls largely due to rising casualties and mounting evidence that Iraq was not a military threat before the first preemptive U.S. war.

"I think the president's reputation certainly rides on this, as does mine, as do all of my colleagues here in government," Secretary of State Colin Powell said. "Iraq is top dead center in terms of our legacy."