Bush Foresees Faster Growth

WASHINGTON — A self-assured President Bush said Wednesday that he saw "hopeful signs" of an economic recovery in the next 18 months and expressed confidence that U.S. officials would thwart any attempts by terrorists to kill Americans with hijacked airplanes.

In a wide-ranging solo news conference, his first since March 6, Bush also spelled out his opposition to same-sex marriages. But he took pains to not condemn gays. "I am mindful that we're all sinners, and I caution those who may try to take the speck out of their neighbor's eye when they got a log in their own," he said, paraphrasing the biblical analogy.

Bush also for the first time accepted personal responsibility for his controversial prewar claim that Iraq had attempted to acquire uranium in Africa. "I take personal responsibility for everything I say, of course," he said.

The president came across as being in firm control -- and certain of the direction of the war on terrorism and his economic agenda as he prepares to leave town Saturday for his annual monthlong working vacation based at his ranch near Crawford, Texas.

In August, Bush is scheduled to travel around the country, including to Southern California, to raise money for his reelection bid and to make official appearances.

In his opening remarks Wednesday and in response to questions, Bush fiercely defended his stewardship of the economy, asserting at one point that his tax cuts would generate a rebound without creating a major drag on the federal budget, despite the record-breaking deficits.

"We're beginning to see hopeful signs of faster growth in the economy, which over time will yield new jobs," he said, citing continued low interest rates, improving manufacturing indexes and "strong" housing starts.

But Bush acknowledged that the nation's unemployment rate was "still too high," and he recited a familiar line from his standard stump speech: "We will not rest until Americans looking for work can find a job."

The president also made a pitch for his proposal to set aside $3.6 billion for "personal reemployment accounts," which would provide laid-off workers as much as $3,000 each while they searched for new jobs. Beneficiaries could use the money for job training, child care or transportation, or they could even use the money to move to a city where they could find work.