NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2003

Bush, talking to reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Australia, said he discussed the comments of Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin with Muslim leaders in Indonesia.

"I said he didn't reflect my opinion," Bush said. "Look, it just doesn't reflect what the government thinks. And I think they were pleased to hear that."

Bush's comments notwithstanding, the Pentagon brushed aside congressional calls to temporarily reassign Boykin while an internal investigation into his statements ensues.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced the probe Tuesday into the comments by Boykin, the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. The Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John Warner of Virginia, and other members of Congress had called for Boykin to take another job during the investigation.

That isn't going to happen, said Rumsfeld's spokesman, Larry Di Rita.

"Nobody's thinking about asking him to step aside," Di Rita told reporters today.

Boykin came under criticism last week when reports surfaced of his comments during several speeches at evangelical Christian churches. Boykin said the enemy in the war on terrorism was Satan, that God had put Bush in the White House and called one Muslim Somali warlord an idol-worshipper.

The Pentagon released a statement from Boykin apologizing to those who were offended and saying the three-star general did not mean to insult Islam.

'You Need Time Out'

On Tuesday, Warner took to the Senate floor to call on Boykin to step aside so he can focus on responding to the investigation. "When you start trying to explain what you did say, you need time out to do a little study," the senator said.

Rep. Jim Turner, D-Texas, agreed.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Rumsfeld this morning, Turner said reassigning Boykin was important "to send the message ... that the war on terror is not a war on Islam."

Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon news conference Tuesday that it hasn't been determined whether that probe will be conducted by the Army's inspector general or the Defense Department's internal watchdog. Rumsfeld, for a second time, declined to offer an opinion on Boykin's statements and said he watched a network news video of some of the speeches in which Boykin's words were unintelligible.

"I'm going to wait for the inspector general to complete their review and come back to us," Rumsfeld said.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he talked to Boykin.

"He mentioned to me how sad he was that his comments created the fury they had," said Pace, who joined Rumsfeld at Tuesday's news conference. "He does not see this battle as a battle between religions. He sees it as a battle between good and evil. He sees it as the evil being the acts of individuals, not the acts of any religion."

© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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