US President Mr George W Bush last night defended his administration against charges it issued a terror alert this week for political purposes and said the government had an obligation to inform the public about genuine threats.
Mr Bush, accused by Democrats of using Sunday's warning of potential threats to financial institutions in New York and Washington to divert attention from White House rival Mr John Kerry, said it was important to share "real" intelligence."When we find out intelligence that is real, that threatens people, I believe we have an obligation as government to share that with people," Mr Bush told a skeptical audience at a conference of minority journalists."Imagine what happens if we didn't share that information with the people in those buildings and something were to happen?"He added: "This is a dangerous time. I wish it wasn't this way. Now, I wish I wasn't the war president. Who in the heck wants to be a war president?"Journalists attending the Unity conference in Washington gave Kerry loud applause when he appeared before them on Thursday, so Bush had little doubt about the group's political leanings when he agreed to talk to them.Still, the derision that greeted some of his answers to their questions was a stark contrast to the fawning crowds Bush usually faces on the campaign trail.Many in the crowd laughed when Bush struggled to answer a question about what tribal sovereignty means for Native American tribes in the 21st century."Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a - you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities," Mr Bush replied.