In a press conference earlier tonight, President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair acknowledged a “series of errors in managing the occupation of Iraq that have made the conflict more difficult and more damaging to the U.S. image abroad,” however they were still insistant that “enough progress has been made that other nations should support the nascent Iraqi government.”

During the press conference, Bush admitted that he had used “inappropriate ‘tough talk’ — such as saying ‘bring ‘em on’ in reference to insurgents — that he said ’sent the wrong signal to people.’” He also said he regretted his statement that he wanted Osama bin Laden “dead or alive.”

“I learned some lessons about expressing myself maybe in a little more sophisticated manner,” Bush said, but one has to wonder when he will learn how to speak english properly. (It’s astounding that this man actually went to Yale and Harvard and speaks so poorly to the public.)

He also said the “biggest mistake” for the United States was the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, in which guards photographed themselves sexually tormenting Iraqi prisoners, spawning revulsion worldwide. “We’ve been paying for that for a long period of time,” he said.

Blair, who visited Baghdad this week, said he and Bush should have recognized that the fall of president Saddam Hussein would not “be the rise of a democratic Iraq, that it was going to be a more difficult process” because “you’re talking about literally building the institutions of a state from scratch.”

Although Bush has begun to acknowledge recently his missteps in handling the Iraq war, his comments were his “most explicit acknowledgment that the administration underestimated the difficulty of the central project of his presidency.”

Both Bush and Blair are faltering badly in approval polls. Even in the midst of “acute political weakness” both of them, “repeatedly emphasized that Iraq is finally turning a corner and that, whatever their other misjudgments, the decision to attack Iraq remains justified.”

Blair appeared dour and exhausted during much of the news conference, and both leaders became most animated when talking about their sagging political fortunes.

“No question that the Iraq war has, you know, created a sense of consternation here in America,” Bush said. “I mean, when you turn on your TV screen and see innocent people die day in and day out, it affects the mentality of our country.” He added: “I can understand why the American people are troubled by the war in Iraq. I understand that. But I also believe the sacrifice is worth it and it’s necessary.”

Both the U.S. and British governments “made it clear that they envision some troops remaining for years.” Stay the course…

Bush at a previous news conference said it will be up to future presidents to decide when the last U.S. forces will leave, and an aide to Blair told British reporters this week that London hopes to pull out its last troops by 2010.

Bush brushed away questions about reducing troop levels, saying it depends on discussions with the Iraqi government and the judgment of U.S. commanders. “I have said to the American people, ‘As the Iraqis stand up, we’ll stand down,’ ” he said. “But I’ve also said that our commanders on the ground will make that decision.

“I want our troops out, don’t get me wrong,” Bush added, saying that he said U.S. troops would not leave the country until Iraq is able to sustain, defend and govern itself.

Stay the course… stay the course… stay the course… Broken record – same message, different words.

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