White House Adviser Takes Issue with U.S. General

Sun October 19, 2003 03:46 PM ET
By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top White House aide took issue on Sunday with a senior Pentagon intelligence officer under fire for his comments on Islam, saying no one should characterize the war on terrorism as a religious conflict.

Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin has apologized for the controversial statements in which he portrayed the U.S. battle with Islamic radicals as a clash with "Satan," saying they sought to destroy America "because we're a Christian nation."

President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, asked if Bush would condemn the remarks by Boykin, said, "The president's views on this are absolutely clear."

"This is not a war between religions. No one should describe it as such," Rice told ABC's "This Week."

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