WashingtonPresident George W. Bush yesterday acknowledged “war fatigue” among Congress and the American people, but defended vigorously his plan to secure Iraq, saying that the alternative was not a viable option. Bush said that while he “values the advice of those senators” who disagree with his Iraq policy, and “will continue to listen to them,” he nonetheless believes it is best to give General David Petraeus a chance to allow the “surge” plan to work. Surprisingly, Bush acknowledged for the first time that someone in his administration leaked the name of a covert CIA operative, speculating that, if that person had owned up to it at the beginning, things would have been vastly different. “I'm aware of the fact that perhaps somebody in the administration did disclose the name of that person,” Bush said. “I've often thought about what would have happened if that person had come forth and said, 'I did it.' Would we have had this endless hours of investigation and a lot of money being spent on this matter? But, so, it's been a tough issue for a lot of people in the White House. It's run its course and now we're going to move on.”Bush was also asked about the government report that said al Qaeda was rebuilding and regaining its strength, especially in Pakistan. He said that he is “working with President Musharaff” on the problem of al Qaeda in Pakistan. “He doesn’t want foreign fighters in Pakistan,” Bush said. Bush twice said that one justification for continuing the fight in Iraq was the message that the alternative would send to enemies of the United States, including Iran. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/467043