Bush rules out ransom for US captives in Iraq

President George W. Bush said Tuesday that the United States will work for the return of captive Americans in Iraq, but will not submit to terrorist tactics. "We, of course, don't pay ransom for any hostages," Bush said. Bush spoke on the same day that Al-Jazeera broadcast a video claiming insurgents kidnapped a US security consultant, and the militants displayed a blond, Western-looking man sitting with his hands tied behind his back. The video, the authenticity of which could not be immediately confirmed, also bore the logo of the Islamic Army in Iraq and showed a US passport and an identification card. "What we will do, of course, is use our intelligence-gathering to see if we can't help locate them," Bush said.