President Bush answers a question on Iraq during a news conference at the White House March 28, 2008 in Washington, DC. He was accompanied by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

by Frank James

President Bush was asked today at a White House press conference where he was accompanied by the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, about the Iraqi government's assault, with U.S. military assistance, against the Mahdi Army militia in Iraq.

In his response, Bush said the military actions ordered by Iraqi Prime Minsiter Nouri al-Maliki, appear to be a straightforward effort by the Iraqi government to eliminate a lawless element that saw itself above the law.

But as we wrote recently, it's by no means clear to experts that it's a good-guys-versus-bad-guys conflict we're presently watching unfold in Iraq.

Indeed, there's some concern that the Iraqi government may be taking sides in an internecine Shiite battle that pits the Badr Brigade militia which has links to the government against the Mahdi Army, whose leader is the typically sullen cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Al-Sadr has been a constant pain in the side of the U.S. and Iraqi governments, so there's a tendency to see him as the arch villain of the piece.

But the fight that's occuring presently is seen as much more nuanced than that. Curiously, none of that nuance came across in the president's comments today.

Here's Bush's exchange with the reporter:

Q Mr. President, thank you very much. I'd like to ask you about Iraq. Yesterday in Dayton in your remarks, you said that the Iraqi offensive against criminals and militants in Basra was a sign of progress. But it's also triggered clashes with supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr. And this morning, U.S. forces were again fighting the Mahdi Army in Sadr City. What does this say about progress in terms of reconciliation in Iraq among the various factions? And what can the United States do, what can you do, what can your administration do to help Prime Minister Maliki make progress in that area?

And, Mr. Prime Minister, if I could ask you, when you're in Bucharest next week at the NATO summit, what's going to be your message to the European allies to try to bring them along, to have the same sort of commitment you just stated here, and a commitment to have military operations with their forces in Afghanistan?

PRESIDENT BUSH: John, any government that presumes to represent the majority of people must confront criminal elements or people who think they can live outside the law. And that's what's taking place in Basra and in other parts of Iraq. I would say this is a defining moment in the history of a free Iraq. There have been other defining moments up to now, but this is a defining moment, as well. The decision to move troops -- Iraqi troops into Basra talks about Prime Minister Maliki's leadership.

And one of the early questions I had to the Prime Minister was would he be willing to confront criminal elements, whether they be Shia or Sunni? Would he, in representing people who want to live in peace, be willing to use force necessary to bring to justice those who take advantage of a vacuum, or those who murder the innocent? And his answer was, yes, sir, I will. And I said, well, you'll have our support if that's the case, if you believe in evenhanded justice. And his decision to move into Basra shows evenhanded justice, shows he's willing to go after those who believe they're outside the law.

This is a test and a moment for the Iraqi government, which strongly has supported Prime Minister Maliki's actions. And it is an interesting moment for the people of Iraq, because in order for this democracy to survive, they must have confidence in their government's ability to protect them and to be evenhanded.

And so -- the other that's interesting about this, by the way -- this happens to be one of the provinces where the Iraqs are in the lead -- Iraqis are in the lead, and that's what they are in this instance. And the United States, of course, will provide them help if they ask for it and if they need it. But they are in the lead. And this is a good test for them. And of course, routing out these folks who've burrowed in society, who take advantage of the ability to be criminals, or the ability to intimidate citizens, is going to take a while. But it is a necessary part of the development of a free society.

Bush was asked in a follow-up if he was concerned about U.S. forces being drawn into a civil war. If he is, he wasn't going to say that publicly. He stuck to his talking points about the Iraqi prime minister cracking down on criminals. And he tried to drive home the point that it was all the Iraqi prime minister's doing, this crackdown. Bush made the U.S. military sound like little more than curious bystanders.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. I wonder if you could talk a little bit more about Iraq and how it's -- you mentioned criminal elements that are being fought against now. How concerned are you that the violence now reflects, in fact, a deepening political and civil, even ethnic conflict inside of Iraq? How much now are American forces being drawn into the fighting in the last just few hours even? And how is it going to affect your decision looming on the way ahead?

And if I could ask you both, please, to talk a little bit about the crackdown in Tibet and how you see that affecting relations with China. Thank you.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Any other subjects you want to wedge in there? (Laughter.) Repeat some of those things. You had about five different things. I'm getting old, Steven. Wait a minute, look -- yes, I talked about criminal elements. And one of those things that's been well known is that Basra has been a place where criminality has thrived. It's a port, a lot of goods and services go through there. And there was -- from the beginning of liberation, there have been criminal elements that have had a pretty free hand in Basra. It was just a matter of time before the government was going to have to deal with it.

And I haven't spoke to the Prime Minister since he's made his decision, but I suspect that he would say, look, the citizens down there just got sick and tired of this kind of behavior. Most people want to have normal lives. Most people don't like to be shaken down. Most mothers want their children to go to school peacefully, and yet that wasn't the case in Basra. And so I'm not exactly sure what triggered the Prime Minister's response. I don't know if it was one phone call. I don't know what -- whether or not the local mayor called up and said, help -- we're sick and tired of dealing with these folks. But nevertheless, he made the decision to move. And we'll help him.

But this was his decision. It was his military planning. It was his causing the troops to go from point A to point B. And it's exactly what a lot of folks here in America were wondering whether or not Iraq would even be able to do in the first place. And it's happening. Now, they're fighting some pretty tough characters, people who kill innocent people to achieve objectives. And, yes, there's going to be violence. And that's sad. But this situation needed to be dealt with, and it's now being dealt with -- just like we're dealing with the situation up in Mosul.

I have said in my remarks there's been substantial progress, and there has been. But it's still a dangerous, fragile situation in Iraq. And, therefore, my decision will be based upon the recommendations of Secretary Gates, the Joint Chiefs, as well as General Patraeus and Ambassador Crocker -- all aiming to make sure that we have enough of a presence to make sure that we're successful in Iraq.

And the reason why it's successful -- important to be successful in Iraq, because, one, we want to help establish a democracy in the heart of the Middle East -- the most volatile region in the world. Two, we want to send a clear message to Iran that they're not going to be able to have their way with nations in the Middle East. Three, that we want to make it clear that we can defeat al Qaeda. Al Qaeda made a stand in Iraq. They're the ones who said, this is the place where the war will take place. And a defeat of al Qaeda will be a major victory in this war against extremists and radicals. Four, we want to show what's possible to people. There are reformers all over the Middle East who want to know whether or not the United States and friends will stand with these young democracies.

And so this is vital for our national interests. And I'm confident we can succeed, unless we lose our nerve; unless we allow politics to get in the way of making the necessary decisions, which I have vowed to our military and our civilians in Iraq that that's not going to be the case so long as I'm the President. And I'm -- as I told you, this is a defining moment, and it's a moment of -- where the government is acting. And it's going to a while for them to deal with these elements, but they're after it, and that's what's positive.