In Indonesia, Bush defends his Iraq policy

Indonesia With President Bush beside him, the president of the world's most populous Muslim nation called Monday for other countries to help stabilize Iraq and for developing a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops.

At a joint news conference, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono didn't specify which countries should be brought in to help, but he emphasized that "the global community must be also responsible in solving the problems in Iraq."

While he mentioned that the U.S. should work toward "a proper timetable" for "the disengagement of U.S. military forces and other coalition forces from Iraq," he implicitly rejected calls for an abrupt pullout, and Bush said Yudhoyono hadn't urged him to do that.

Bush defended his Iraq policy and didn't rule out sending more U.S. troops to join the approximately 140,000 currently in Iraq.

"I haven't made any decisions about troop increases or troop decreases and won't until I hear from a variety of sources, including our own United States military," he said. He said he hopes to get recommendations from the Pentagon "as quickly as possible."

Of the three obvious options sending significantly more U.S. troops to Iraq, staying the course or withdrawing immediately only one has much support, however. The U.S. doesn't have enough troops to increase its presence significantly, and there's wide agreement that a hasty retreat would only leave a bigger mess. So support is coalescing around alterations to the current strategy, perhaps adding 20,000 to 50,000 more troops for a limited time, then beginning a drawdown.

Bush's visit to Indonesia on the final leg of a six-day Asia tour sparked days of protests that continued as he met with Yudhoyono behind the heavily guarded gates of a presidential palace. Bush said he wasn't bothered by protests against him.

"It's to Indonesia's credit that it's a society where people are able to protest and say what they think," Bush said. "It's not the first time, by the way, where people have showed up and expressed their opinion about my policies. But that's what happens when you make hard decisions."

Helmeted police stood shoulder to shoulder to block off streets near the meeting site in Bogor, about 45 miles south of Jakarta. Nearby businesses were forced to close for the day.

The protesters didn't get near the sprawling country estate, and Bush avoided any encounters by traveling by helicopter from the Jakarta airport. The chopper landed at the colonial-era palace in a driving rainstorm, punctuated by at least one lightning strike.

Both leaders seemed eager to avoid any friction during the seven-hour visit, which was intended to strengthen relations and showcase Indonesia as a model Muslim democracy.

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Bush came to Indonesia after wrapping up a weekend trip to Vietnam with a trip to the Ho Chi Minh City stock market, a museum tour and a briefing on efforts to combat AIDS and avian flu. Bush banged a gong to open a trading session at the fledgling stock market.

The market offers investors fewer than 60 stocks and mutual funds, but its mere existence symbolizes the economic changes that are transforming communist Vietnam.

After a quick tour of a history museum, Bush and his wife, Laura, stood in the steaming heat and watched a colorful performance by Vietnamese drummers and dancers. Four shimmering dragons, each propelled by two young boys beneath elaborate sequined costumes, snaked through a flag-waving drill team.

Earlier in the day, White House aides scrambled to come up with alternative travel arrangements after Air Force One suffered six flat tires upon Bush's arrival. A malfunction in the aircraft's braking system overheated the tires, causing their valves to blow out.

The safety feature is intended to prevent a more dangerous tire blowout. Air Force mechanics fixed the problem in time for Bush's departure. The president was scheduled to layover in Hawaii Monday night before returning to Washington on Tuesday.