Fort Hood (Texas): President George W Bush said on April 21 that Iraqis will have
better lives with Saddam Hussein out of power and he advised the Iraqi leader, if
alive, to watch out.
"I would suggest he not pop his head up,'' Bush told reporters after meeting at an
Army base with two helicopters pilots who were held as prisoners of war in Iraq.
Answering a question about Saddam's fate, Bush said, "Saddam Hussein is no longer in
power. That's for certain. He was in power, and now he is not. And therefore, the
Iraqi people's lives will be much better off.''
The President said, "the liberation of Iraq will make the world more peaceful.''
Bush said he was not worried that anti-US demonstrations led by religious leaders in
Iraq might hurt rebuilding efforts.
"Freedom is beautiful, and when people are free, they express their opinions. And,
you know, they couldn't express their opinions before we came. Now they can,'' Bush
said.
"I've always said democracy is going to be hard. It's not easy to go from being
enslaved to being free. But it's going to happen, because the basic instinct of
mankind is to be free. They want to be free.''
